Reality Check
by Melrian Ventocor
Summary: Kristofer Schade, whilst escaping an enemy the likes of which he has never seen, jumps into a portal. He emerges in Remnant without any knowledge of how he wound up there. For the most part, this is a modified version of the existing RWBY story. However, it doesn't follow it directly. It does branch off.
1. Prologue

Kristofer nearly slammed into a wall as he veered around a corner. He didn't dare look back at his pursuers, for fear that he might trip in the eerie twilight that filled this seemingly endless labyrinth of concrete hallways.

_How could this have happened_, he wondered. _Less than a day ago I was relaxing in Florida!_ Careening around another corner, he nearly ran into his red haired partner; Katie. Wait, no, that's not right. He saw Katie die just a few minutes ago!

Kristofer narrowly dodged to the side as the mimicry of his former comrade lunged at him, snarling like some rabid beast. Quickly whirling around, he brought one of his two steel cudgels down on the back of the abomination's head before continuing his flight down the hallway.

"_Running is futile," _a deep voice reverberated around him. "_In the end, you will die like the rest of your squad._"

"Not on my watch," Kristofer muttered to himself.

In the distance, a light appeared in the semi-darkness. As Kristofer approached it, he found it to be a swirling white vortex in the middle of a doorway. Looking back, he saw two more shadows of his now deceased comrades running full tilt towards him down the corridor. Without another second of hesitation, he threw himself into the vortex.

"_NOOO!_" the voice screamed in fury, but it was too late. Kristofer had vanished, the vortex blinking out behind him.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, this story will be a completely new concept for me. I can't go any farther into it due to spoilers, but I <strong>**_do_**** promise that the rest of the chapters will (usually) be MUCH longer.**


	2. Chapter 1: Ruby Rose

Kristofer woke with a start. Looking around, he found himself in some kind of warehouse. Quickly, he leapt to his feet, raising his cudgels in a defensive stance. Once he determined that there weren't any hidden attackers, he put them back in the sheathes at his sides. _How in the world did I get here,_Kristofer wondered. _Last I remember I was relaxing on the beach in Florida._

The warehouse must have been abandoned for quite some time, if the moonlight streaming through the gaping hole in the roof was anything to go by. _Wait a second!_ Kristofer glanced up at the moon again, his eyes widening in shock. The moon was fragmented into pieces! But, how could that be possible? Unless…no…but that's the only thing that made any sense! "Where on earth, no, where in the _universe_ am I?!"

After calming down, Kristofer decided to leave the warehouse. Once outside, he found himself on what appeared to be a city street in France. As he walked down the street, he peered at his reflection in a shop window. What he saw stopped him in his tracks. Gone was his military cut blonde hair, replaced by jet black hair that fell to his shoulders. His once blue eyes were now green, and even his skin tone had lightened somewhat, if that were possible. But the most shocking part was a long black monkey-like tail protruding from the back of his jeans. As he thought about it, the tail moved in front of Kristofer's face, allowing him to examine it. "Can this day get any weirder?" he muttered, looking at his black shirt, jacket and jeans, which, Kristofer noted, had _not_ changed.

While Kristofer walked along, deep in thought, he failed to notice that he had walked right into someone else's path. "Out of the way kid," a voice said as Kristofer was roughly pushed to the ground. Looking up, he identified the speaker as a white-clad man wielding a cane for seemingly aesthetic purposes. He wore a black bowler hat on top of his orange hair. Trailing the man were roughly half a dozen men wearing suits, top hats, and red sunglasses.

Observing the way the gang walked, Kristofer figured that they were a bunch of thugs up to no good. So, he decided to tail them so he could figure out what they were up to. Moving from shadow to shadow, he followed them to a shop whose sign read "From Dust til Dawn". As he watched, one of the suited men pulled a gun on the shop keeper. Kristofer than began to sprint towards the shop to intervene. However, he pulled up short when a girl in a dark red outfit with a bright red cloak tackled one of the suited men (whom Kristofer assumed to be the bowler hat guy's lackeys) through the shop window. She proceeded to pull some sort of device off her hip. It then unfolded into a huge red scythe that dwarfed the girl in comparison. At the top of scythe, Kristofer noticed with curiosity, was what appeared to be a gun barrel.

Shaking himself out of his trance, he ran up alongside the girl, cudgels held at the ready. "Mind if I lend a hand?" he asked. Before she could answer, the rest of the bowler hat guy's lackeys rushed the pair of them with swords. One took a swing at Kristofer, but his sword was deflected by Kristofer's cudgel. The goon was then knocked out cold as Kristofer brought his other cudgel up to whack him upside the head with a resounding _thwack!_Out of the corner of his eye, Kristofer saw another crook aiming a gun at him. He barely managed to backflip up a wall, out of the way of the thug's shot. He then launched himself from the wall at the gunman, tackling him to the ground before bringing a cudgel down on the guy's head.

Meanwhile, the girl had aimed the gun barrel behind her, and fired. The recoil propelled her into a spin, allowing her to swing the scythe at one of the goons, dispatching him easily. She then proceeded to slash at one and then launched herself around the scythe (which she had embedded in the ground), using her momentum to deliver a devastating kick to the final thug's face.

When Kristofer rejoined the girl, the leader had stepped out of the shop. Looking down at his lackeys, he muttered something unintelligible. Dropping his cigar on the ground, he crushed it underneath his cane. "Well, kids," he began. "This has certainly been an eventful evening. And, as much as I'd like to stick around," he then proceeded to point his cane at the pair of them, the end flipping up into some kind of crosshair. "This is where we part ways." Both Kristofer and the girl barely managed to get out of the way as he fired what looked like a projectile from a flare gun that exploded upon hitting where they both had been standing.

When the smoke cleared, there was no sign of the man. "There!" the girl shouted. The criminal was climbing a ladder on the side of a building on the other side of the street. "Will you be okay if we go after him?" Kristofer asked the shop keeper, who replied with an affirmative.

When the two of them reached the top of the roof, the girl called out, "Hey! Stop right there!"

The man stopped at the opposite edge of the rooftop. A second later, a VTOL craft (which actually looked a lot like a pregnant V-22 Osprey) rose up high enough for the guy to jump in. Turning around, he shouted, "End of the line kids!" and threw a red crystal at the pair's feet before immediately firing another shot from his cane at it before either of them had time to react. Right before the projectile impacted, a blonde-haired woman wearing a white blouse, black pants, and a bizarrely shaped purple cape, landed in front of them. In her hand, which she had raised in the direction of the VTOL, she held what appeared to be a wand emanating a large purple rune. The rune served as a shield, absorbing the energy of the explosion.

Pushing her spectacles up the bridge of her nose, the woman waved her wand in an arc, sending a cluster of purple projectiles crashing into the aircraft on all sides. _Looks like my day just got weirder,_ Kristofer thought as the woman then summoned a hailstorm of razor sharp crystals which cut through the craft's hull like a knife through butter.

Suddenly, a woman in a sheer red and gold dress (whose face was hidden by shadows) appeared in the craft's troop bay (bowler hat guy had since gone into the cockpit). She held her hand palm-up in front of her face. Suddenly, a flame appeared in her hand which she then thrust in a fireball at the witch guarding the pair. Quickly, she threw up a shield, protecting herself from the fireball. She then flipped backward as the red-clad witch caused the ground where she was once standing to erupt. The good witch then waved her wand, causing the shrapnel from the explosion to float off the ground like some great, glowing, purple worm. Waving her wand again, her creation charged straight at her attacker, who shot several fireballs at it. The shards separated for an instant before reforming and continuing on its path. The pilot barely managed to angle the wings so that it ricocheted harmlessly off the craft. The "worm" then split into three, snaking their way around the craft. The red-clad witch quickly crossed arms and then spread them wide, emitting a blast that disintegrated the shard creatures.

The girl, seemingly eager to assist, collapsed her scythe into a bolt-action sniper rifle. She then proceeded to fire three shots, all three bouncing harmlessly off the attacker's hand. The attacker then waved her hand, causing the ground underneath all three of them to glow orange. Quickly, Kristofer grabbed the girl and jumped away while the witch leapt for safety as the ground once again erupted in a pillar of flame. The three barely had time to look up before the ship quickly flew away.

Walking up to the witch, the girl said in awe, "You're a huntress!" Then, in a tone that would've made a giddy schoolgirl sound normal, she begged, "Can I have your autograph?!"

_**An hour later…**_

The wit…err, Huntress, took Kristofer and the girl to a room that reminded Kristofer of a police interrogation room. There was a table in the middle, and one ceiling light that lit up only the center of the room. The rest of the room was in shadow. Once the pair was inside, the Huntress closed the door, locking them in.

Unwilling to spend an indefinite amount of time in an awkward silence, Kristofer decided to break the ice. "Would you mind telling me your name?"

The girl looked up from her hands, momentarily surprised by the sudden question. "Ruby," she said meekly. Then, with a lopsided grin, she asked, "Would you mind telling me yours."

Kristofer chuckled. "Not at all. I'm Kristofer. How old are you, if you don't mind me asking."

"Fifteen."

"Whaa?!" Kristofer spluttered. "You're only fifteen and you're using a weapon like _that_?!" He pointed at her sniper/scythe.

"Yeah…" Ruby said slowly. "What's wrong with that?"

Before Kristofer could respond, the door slammed open. It was the Huntress again. She proceeded to slowly walk around them whilst giving them a lecture. "I hope you both realize that your actions will not be taken lightly," she said. "You put yourself and others in great danger."

"They started it!" Ruby protested.

Completely ignoring Ruby's outburst, the Huntress went on, "If it were up to me, you'd be sent home with a pat on the back…and a slap on the wrist." To emphasize her point, she fiercely brought the end of her wand down on the table, eliciting a startled shriek from Ruby. "But," her tone softened. Kristofer almost thought he heard defeat in her voice. "There is someone here who would like to meet you."

The door opened once again, this time admitting a grey-haired, spectacled man wearing a green and black suit. In one hand, he held a cup of coffee, and the other held a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Unlike the Huntress, whose manner was as stern as a military sergeant, he had a more welcoming, almost grandfatherly feel about him. "Ruby Rose," he began, inspecting Ruby closely. "You…have silver eyes."

"U-umm…" Ruby stammered, unsure of how to respond to such a random comment.

He then indicated what looked like an iPad in the Huntress's hands. On the screen was a video of Ruby fighting some of the thugs. "Where did you learn to do this?"

"S-Signal Academy," she replied hesitantly.

Surprise lacing his voice, the man went on, "_They_ taught you how to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?"

"Well, one teacher in particular."

"I see." He then placed the plate of cookies on the table in front of her. Ruby cautiously took one cookie, then, seeing that it was okay, looked questioningly at Kristofer. He gave a "no thank you" gesture. She proceeded to shove the rest of the cookies into her mouth.

With his back to the table, the man said, "It's just that I've only seen one other scythe-wielder of that level of skill before: a dusty old Qrow."

Ruby attempted to say something, but whatever it was, was muffled by all the cookies in her mouth. After swallowing, she apologized before saying, "That's my Uncle Qrow. He's a teacher at Signal. I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing. And now, I'm all like; hwaaah!" Kristofer couldn't help but chuckle as she struck a ninja pose.

"So I've noticed," the man replied with a smile. "And what is an adorable girl, such as yourself, doing at a school designed to train warriors?"

"Well, I want to be a Huntress," Ruby replied.

"You want to slay monsters?"

Then, as if a switch had been flipped, words began spilling from her mouth like water from a busted dam. "Yeah. I only have two more years left at Signal, and then I'm going to apply to Beacon. You see, my sister's starting there this year, and she's trying to become a Huntress, and I'm trying to become a Huntress because I wanna help people. Our parents taught us to help others, so I thought, 'Well, I might as well make a career out of it.' I mean the police are alright, but Huntsmen and Huntresses are just so much more romantic and exciting and cool and just tchaaa! Ya know?!"

"Pardon me for interrupting," Kristofer began. "But, what exactly are Huntsmen and Huntresses?"

"You're joking, right?!" Ruby demanded.

"I wish I was."

Ruby just sat there staring at him, absolutely dumbfounded.

After a pause, the man said, "That reminds me." He walked over to where Kristofer was sitting. "When we went to look you up, we couldn't find anyone on the planet who matches your description. As far as we know, you don't exist. Do you have an explanation for that?"

"I do…" Kristofer began. "But I don't think you'll believe me. Frankly, _I_ find it difficult to believe."

"Try me," came the smiling reply.

Kristofer took a deep breath before starting. "My name is Kristofer Schade, and, I know this sounds crazy, but I'm not from this world. I'm from a planet called Earth. I was relaxing at the beach one day, and then woke up in a completely different body (with a tail no less!) in an abandoned warehouse. The only possessions I have from my world are my clothes, weapons, and memories." After a long, awkward silence, he muttered, "I told you I'd sound crazy."

"No," the man said, raising a hand. "It's alright, I believe you."

"Really?"

He nodded his head. "When you've been around as long as I have, you're bound to see many peculiar occurrences. Though this is a first, I have seen other things that are even stranger." He took on a more sympathetic tone. "It must be difficult, being in a place you know nothing about with no guarantee that you'll see your loved ones again."

"It's alright," Kristofer said. "All of those close to me died many, many years ago. And, given enough time, I'll adapt.

"I'm sorry," Ruby said quietly.

Back to business, the man then asked, "Well then, Kristofer, where did _you_learn how to fight?"

"That's kind of a long story. Back on Earth, every nation is constantly at war, constantly coming up with new programs and new technologies to try and one up their adversaries. My nation started one such program; Project _Phoenix. _They began training select individuals at an early age, so that by the time they reached the age at which they can join the military, they'll have already been fully trained. I was one of those individuals. In fact, I outpaced my fellow trainees. I graduated a year early, and was about to be deployed to take out a terrorist cell when I woke up here."

"I see." Pacing back to where Ruby was sitting, he said, "Back to your original question. Huntsmen and Huntresses are the guardians of this world. Their combat skills are unparalleled. Their entire purpose is to destroy all the Grimm, (Grimm are evil, powerful versions of common animals who only wish to wipe all of us off the face of the planet), as well as stop anything or anyone else who threatens to disrupt the peace of this world."

"How does one become a Huntsman?"

"Officially? Only by graduating from a school specifically designed for that purpose, such as Beacon." As Kristofer sunk into deep thought about how he might achieve such a thing, the man turned back to Ruby. "Do you know who I am?" he asked.

"Of course," Ruby replied with a smile. "You're Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster at Beacon." This caught Kristofer's attention.

"That's right." He looked at both Kristofer and Ruby. "So you want to come to my school?" When they both gave an affirmative, he said, "Well, okay then."

"Hold on!" the Huntress interrupted. "Professor Ozpin, we only have _one_ ope..."

Professor Ozpin quieted her with his hand. "Don't worry, I'll take care of that."


	3. Chapter 2: The Shining Beacon

The following day, Kristofer woke up to find that he'd been sleeping on a couch. _That was one weird dream,_ he thought. As he got up to stretch, he was shocked to see the tail from his dream still attached to him. At that same moment, Ruby walked into the room. _I guess it wasn't a dream after all._

"I see you're awake," Ruby said.

"Yeah," Kristofer groaned groggily. "Is the bathroom open?"

"Be my guest."

After showering and brushing his teeth, Kristofer exited the bathroom to find an older girl standing there. The girl (who happened to be Ruby's older sister, Yang) wore a yellow shirt and black short shorts which were covered by a brown skirt and a tight brown vest which accentuated some of her more…feminine features. She also wore black gloves, yellow wristlets, and an orange scarf. Her unkempt blonde hair stretched down the entirety of her back.

"Ruby and I are all packed," she said. "We're just waiting on you."

"I'm all done," Kristofer replied. "To be honest, I don't really have anything _to_ pack."

"I'm sure we'll be able to figure something out."

When the trio arrived at the airship station, they found the airship had already landed and was loading up passengers. As Kristofer boarded the ship, he couldn't help but gawk in wonder, unable to comprehend how this colossal construction could possibly fly.

"What?" Yang asked, noticing Kristofer's bewilderment. "Don't they have airships where you come from?"

"Yes, but not like this. We have yet to develop anti-gravity on Earth."

"It's simple," Ruby said. "Just use Dust."

"How can miniscule grains of rock cause something to float?" Kristofer asked with a hint of doubt in his voice.

"No, no, no," Yang laughed. She then popped open one of her wristlets, revealing a red crystal, much like the one the thug from the day before had thrown at Kristofer and Ruby. "This is Dust," she explained. "There are numerous different kinds, each providing a different kind of power. The airships use a sort of anti-grav Dust."

"Interesting," Kristofer mused, stroking his chin. He was broken out of his thought process when he saw a mug shot of the bowler hat guy on the holoscreen.

"The robbery," the reporter said. "Was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you Lisa."

The projection then shifted to show a gray haired woman. To her right was an image of what appeared to be an organized protest. "Thank you Cyril," the female reporter said. "In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark…"

"What's a Faunus?" Kristofer wondered aloud.

"You are," Ruby replied. "Faunus are just like humans, except they have one or more animalistic attributes, such as your tail."

"Oh…"

The report on the holoscreen was cut short as the image was replaced by the Huntress from the previous night. "Hello, and welcome to Beacon," the recording said. "My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now, it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." Her image then vanished, revealing a stunning view of the city (which Kristofer had learned was named Vale).

Looking out the window, Ruby exclaimed, "Look, you can see Signal from up here!" Then, in a quieter voice, "I guess home isn't too far after all."

Yang threw her arm around her sister's shoulders. "Beacon's our home now."

To the girls' right, a blonde haired kid in brown with white shoulder pads let out a groan. He then proceeded to quickly make his way over to the nearest trash can, trying to hold in his vomit.

"I guess the view isn't for everyone," Yang said.

Kristofer walked up to the two girls. "Hey, I'm gonna go make sure he's alright."

"Why?" Ruby asked.

Smiling, Kristofer replied, "Because I can relate. I'm highly prone to seasickness."

"Blegh," Yang said. "Go ahead. We won't stop you."

Walking over to the boy, who had just finished violently vomiting into the trash can, Kristofer put his hand on the boy's back. "You doing alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," the boy groaned. "I just…urp…get motion sick."

"I hear you. My name's Kristofer Schade by the way."

"Jaune Arc," the boy replied.

"Well Jaune," Kristofer said, shaking his hand. "Here's to an excellent several years at Beacon."

As the door of the airship opened, all the students flooded out onto the campus. As they slowly waded through the crowd, Juane and Kristofer discussed things such as what they might learn, if one or the other knew any girls they should be interested in, typical guy stuff. Suddenly, they saw an explosion in the distance. Running towards it, the pair found Ruby watching a girl in a white dress angrily walk away. She then collapsed to her knees, looking absolutely downtrodden.

"You wanted to know a girl to be friends with, right?" Kristofer whispered to Jaune. "She's not a bad start."

Nodding, Jaune walked over to Ruby, offering his hand. "Hey," he said. "I'm Jaune."

"Ruby," she replied, shyly accepting his assistance to stand. Snorting, she then asked, "Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?"

Smiling in satisfaction over the new friendship he created, Kristofer decided to try and figure out where in the world he was supposed to go. Wandering around, he spotted two male Faunus (at least, he assumed that the raccoon tails made them Faunus) talking together. Walking up to them, he said, "Excuse me?"

The two turned around. In surprise, Kristofer realized that they must've been twins. Aside from the color of their outfits, they looked identical. They both shared the same dark skin tone, shoulder length chestnut hair, and dark green eyes. The one on the left wore a yellow undershirt and olive vest with a pair of long tan pants. On his wrists, he wore a pair of dark green and yellow bracers. The one on the right wore a mahogany undershirt with brown pants and vest. He also wore a pair of bracers, these ones being red and black.

"Can we help you, mate?" the one on the right asked in what would be an Australian accent on Earth.

"Yeah, uh, where are the first years supposed to go?"

"It should all be on your Scroll," the other answered, pulling out a miniature version of one of the tablets that Goodwitch had the previous night.

Rubbing his hand behind his head awkwardly, Kristofer said, "I, uh, never got one."

"Ah," the one on the left replied. His brother then offered, "Would you like us to show you then? We're first years as well."

"Yes, please," Kristofer replied. "I'm Kristofer, in case you're wondering."

"Well, Kristofer," the one on the right said, "I'm Artie, and that's my brother, Mac."

"So," Mac asked. "Where'd you learn to fight? We both came from Signal."

"Ummm…" Kristofer was unsure of how to answer the question. He couldn't lie to them, because Signal was the only other school he knew of, and they both would know he hadn't attended.

"You did attend a combat school, right?" Artie asked with a sideways glance.

"Umm…yeah…about that…"

"I'll be buggered!" Artie exclaimed. "The headmaster let you in on talent alone?"

"Sorta, yeah."

"Good onya, mate," Mac said, clapping Kristofer on the shoulder. "You must be pretty spiffy in a fight. What kind of weapons are ya packing?"

Pulling his cudgels out, Kristofer said, "Just these. They aren't much, but they get the job done."

"Do they at least shoot?" Artie asked.

"Nope. They're only good for smashing stuff."

"So," Mac asked. "What do you do if something's shooting at _you_?"

"Well," Kristofer began. "I have this…ability. I'm able to sense where and when something's going to hit before it's even begun moving."

"Must be your Semblance then," Mac explained.

"Semblance?" This time it was Kristofer's turn to be confused.

"Yeah," Artie said. "Everyone has their own unique Semblance. But, everyone knows that."

"Ummm…"

Artie and his brother exchanged a glance. "Is there something you're not telling us mate?"

"You won't think I'm crazy will you?" Kristofer asked hesitantly.

Mac waved his hand. "Of course not. Beacon would never allow crazies to come here to learn."

With a sigh, Kristofer retold the events of the previous day. The two brother listened to every word intently. When he finished, Mac gave out a low whistle. "Mate, that's some heavy stuff. But, if you ever need help learning about this world, we'll be glad to help. Right Artie?"

"Too right!"

"Thanks," Kristofer said with a smile. As Kristofer followed his newfound friends into the auditorium, he was bowled over by a red-haired girl clad in a navy blue sports bra and shorts. Strapped to her back was a bayonetted, double-barreled, pump-action shotgun of the same color.

"I'm so, so sorry!" she exclaimed, helping him up. "You're not hurt or anything? I really hate to be the person to send someone to the nurse on their first day of school. Are you sure you're okay? You are? Great!" Before Kristofer could even get in a word, the girl dashed off.

He was then approached by a girl with fox ears. "I'm sorry about that, sir," she said timidly, twiddling her thumbs with her head down. She wore a simple sky blue dress with white fringes. Her black hair reached down to the small of her back. "My friend can get a little overexcited."

"It's alright," Kristofer said. But, before he could say anything else, a hush covered the audience as Professor Ozpin stepped up to the podium.

"I'll…keep this brief," he said, pushing his glasses higher up his nose. "You have travelled here today in search of knowledge; to hone your craft, and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge will only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

As he walked off, using his cane for support, Professor Goodwitch walked up to the mic. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight," she said. "Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

"Is the Headmaster always like that," Artie asked, looking at Kristofer.

"He wasn't like that when I met him," Kristofer replied. "Something must be troubling him…"


	4. Chapter 3: The First Steps

_Kristofer refused to look back as he and his best friend, Justin, ran through the dark hallways. The labyrinth seemed to stretch forever. "You'll never escape me," a voice said as they ran. Suddenly, Justin tripped. "Kristofer!" he shouted. Turning back to help, Kristofer found shadowy tentacles dragging his comrade away. Another set of tentacles grabbed Kristofer, none-too-gently dragging him after Justin. "Kristofer!" Justin shouted again. "Kristofer…"_

"Kristofer…"

"Kristofer, wake up!"

Kristofer jolted awake. It was morning. All around him, students were packing up their sleeping bags and heading for the dining hall. Looking up, he found Artie and Mac looking at him with concerned looks.

"You feeling okay, mate?" Artie asked, helping him to his feet.

"Yeah," Kristofer groaned. "It was just a bad dream."

"Well, I hope you got enough rest," Mac said. "We're going through initiation today, remember?"

"I hope it's not a written test," Kristofer replied whilst rolling up his sleeping bag.

Mac chuckled, "I doubt that. There's a rumor going around that this initiation will decide what teams we're on."

"Teams?" Kristofer asked.

"Yeah," Artie said. "Huntsmen and Huntresses in training are usually placed into teams of four."

"Ah."

"Anyways," Mac said. "I suggest that we get a move on while there's still some breakfast left. Let's go Artie."

"I'll catch up with you," Kristofer called as the brothers hurried out of the hall.

_**Later…**_

After gearing up, the trainees gathered at the top of Beacon Cliff. The cliff overlooked a vast forest that extended as far as the eye could see. Each student was instructed to stand on odd looking square plates on the ground. Kristofer took his place with Artie on his left and Ruby on his right.

Both Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch were waiting for them. "For years," Professor Ozpin began. "You have trained to become warriors. And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

Professor Goodwitch stepped forward. "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard the rumors about teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates, today."

"These teammates," Professor Ozpin continued. "Will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So, it is in your interest to be partnered with someone with whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years.'

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you _will_ die. You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But, our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return at the top of the cliff. We will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

Jaune nervously raised his hand. "Yeah, uh, sir?"

"Good," Professor Ozpin said, completely ignoring Jaune. "Now, take your positions."

"Um, sir," Jaune persisted. "I've got, umm, I've got a question."

Looking to his left, Kristofer watched as a girl in white, holding a rapier, was launched by the plate she was standing on, off the cliff and over the forest.

"So, this landing strategy thing," Jaune continued. "Uh, what is it? You're just, like, dropping us off, or something?"

"No," Professor Ozpin replied. "You _will_ be falling."

"Oh, I see. So, like, did you hand out parachutes for us?"

Before he could hear the professor's reply, Kristofer found himself flying over the forest. Looking around, he spotted the other students using multiple techniques to soften their landing. Yang, whose wristlets had turned into gauntlets that emitted powerful fireballs, was using their recoil to not only slow her descent, but prolong her flight. Ruby used her weapon to slow her descent in much the same way, before catching a branch with the blade, swinging around it to lose momentum.

Snapping back to the task at hand, Kristofer began to plan how he was going to land. He had learned how to perform an aerial insertion without a parachute, but had never been able to put it into practice. As he scanned the trees below him, he found the perfect one. Aiming for it, he stretched out his arms, grabbing a branch, swinging around and then letting go at the apex. He then aimed for another branch, this time swinging around it like Ruby had (although he had less momentum to lose) before landing on the ground in a shoulder roll.

_Well, that was pretty awesome,_ he said to himself. Once he brushed himself off, he decided to get to the task at hand: finding a partner.

Wandering through the wilderness, he had no idea where to even start. Now, Kristofer didn't believe in miracles, but he had no idea how to describe what happened next. As he contemplated how he might find someone, hopefully someone he already knew, he locked eyes with both Artie and Mac, who had just walked into the clearing.

"I'll be stuffed!" Artie exclaimed, looking back and forth between Kristofer and Mac. "Is this real?"

"I'll say it is!" Mac shouted back.

"So, what now?" Kristofer asked.

"Well, let's not play sillybuggers," Artie said, gesturing for them to follow. "We have relics to find."

As they walked along, Kristofer asked, "So, do you think it's allowed for us to be in a group of three?"

"I don't see why not," Mac replied. "The rules stated that we partner up with the first person we see. Well," he shrugged. "We saw each other at the same time."

"I guess you're right."

Suddenly, they heard a scream. "This way!" Kristofer shouted, running off with the twins in tow. They found the timid girl from the previous day in a tree. Several werewolf looking creatures circled the tree, barking and howling up at her. A weapon consisting of two swords attached at the hilt (which Kristofer assumed was the girl's weapon) lay on the ground several feet from the tree.

"Don't worry," Kristofer shouted, pulling out his cudgels. "We'll take care of 'em."

The twins nodded in affirmative, raising their arms. Both of their bracers transformed, each revealing a unique weapon. Artie's weapons consisted of a set of six blades arranged in a circular formation around a central disc connected by a rod to each bracer. Mac's bracers each emitted a two foot long white blade of energy that tapered to a point at the end.

"Hey," Kristofer shouted, trying to get the werewolves' attention. "Over here!" Turning to Artie, he whispered, "I want you to get the girl's weapon to her." Smiling, Artie nodded.

The werewolves turned around to see what the commotion was. Upon spotting the trio, they growled, raising their claws aggressively. "Mac," Kristofer said. "You ready to take out some…uh…"

"Beowolves," Mac said with a grin.

"Yeah, that."

"Of course," he replied, assuming a combat stance.

With that, the pair charged. Kristofer slid under the swipe of the front-most Beowolves while Mac flipped over the top of them, slicing them with his blades. As Kristofer came out of his slide, he brought his cudgels up, cracking two of them underneath the jaw. Once Mac landed, he spun around in a whirlwind, beheading the remaining Beowolves.

"That was easy," Kristofer said, starting to put his cudgels away. Mac stopped him however.

"There may be more," he explained. "Beowolves rarely hunt in a pack as small as that one." As soon as he said that, at least a dozen more Beowolves leapt from the bushes, snarling in fury.

"Hey, sheila," Artie called to the girl in the tree. "Catch!" He then proceeded to toss her her weapon. As she caught it, Artie saw a fire in her eyes that definitely wasn't there before. Before he had much time to think about it, she flipped a switch, causing her weapon to transform into a bow. Pulling three arrows out of the quiver on her back (which began to glow with a bright yellow light as she nocked them), she front flipped out of the tree, loosing the arrows at her apex. The arrows homed in on their targets like Tomahawk missiles, impacting three of the Beowolves right between the eyes. As soon as she hit the ground, she let another three arrows fly, hitting another trio in the same exact spot.

"Jeez," Artie exclaimed. "Leave some for me!" At this point, the remaining Beowolves had Kristofer and Mac surrounded. Artie rushed forward, crossing his arms. He then quickly spread them wide, launching the bladed discs. The discs curved around Kristofer and Mac, slicing through each of the Beowolves and then returning to Artie who reattached them to his bracers.

"Are there any more?" Kristofer asked, not wanting to make the same mistake twice.

"I don't think so," Mac replied, retracting his energy blades.

Turning back to the girl, Artie asked, "I take it that you're alright?"

When the girl nodded, Kristofer asked, "What's your name?"

"Ila," she shyly replied.

"So, Ila, what happened exactly?"

"Well," she began, holding her right arm as if she'd done something wrong. "My partner, Rachael, the girl who knocked you over, and I were walking through the forest when that pack of Beowolves jumped us. In the commotion, Rachael and I got separated. As I ran, I accidentally dropped my weapon and was chased up that tree."

Kristofer and the twins looked at each other. When Artie shrugged, Kristofer went on, "Do you know which way Rachael went?"

Ila bowed her head.

"Well," Artie said. "Don't worry, we'll help you find her."

"You will?" Ila asked, looking up.

"Of course," Kristofer nodded. "It's the right thing to do, after all."


	5. Chapter 4: The Emerald Forest

Rachael laughed with glee as she ran, Beowolves in hot pursuit. A light blue glow began to surround her, and then, with a flash, she vanished into thin air, leaving the Beowolves looking around in confusion. Then, reappearing behind them, Rachael pulled out her shotgun, aiming it at the nearest Beowolf.

"Behind you," she said as she pulled the trigger, completely obliterating the creature. Snarling in rage, the other Beowolves charged at her, claws ready and teeth bared. As the nearest one swiped at her, she once again vanished with a blue flash. She reappeared behind another Beowolf who quickly met the same fate as the first. As she pumped her shotgun, the remaining four Beowolves charged again. This time, she split the shotgun in two. Aiming at two of the Beowolves, she fired, taking them out. Then, the two halves of the shotgun transformed into swords which she used to slice the heads off of the remaining attackers.

Transforming the swords back into a double barreled shotgun, she reattached her weapon to her back. "Too easy," she muttered. Louder, she asked, "Don't you agree Ila?"

Looking around, she realized that there was no one there. "Ila?!" she called. "Ila!"

_Alright, Rachael, stay rational. She probably ran a different direction. She's a big girl, she's probably fine. Oh, but what if she isn't? I have to find her!_ Distressed, Rachael began pacing as she tried to figure out what to do. _Maybe, if I go back the way I came, I'll find her. Yes! That's it! But…_ Rachael looked around in confusion. _Which way did I come from?_

Meanwhile, Artie, Mac, Kristofer, and Ila were all on a similar mission, trying to find Rachael. Much like Rachael, they set off in a random direction in hopes of bumping into her. It wasn't much of a plan, but it was all they had to work with.

Arty, trying to break the silence that had settled over them, asked, "So, Ila, how did you and Rachael meet?"

"Well," Ila began. "It was quite a long time ago, but I still remember it like it was yesterday. I must have only been about five at the time. I was one of only a handful of Faunus at my school, and, at that time especially, no human wanted to be friends with a Faunus. One day, at recess, I accidentally tripped and fell into this one boy. In retaliation, he and his friends started beating me up, the whole while I was screaming that I didn't mean to."

"That must have been awful," Kristofer murmured.

"All of us have been discriminated against at some point," Artie said softly. "It comes with being a Faunus."

"That doesn't make it right," Kristofer replied.

"Well," Mac asked, turning back to Ila. "What happened next?"

"When they were finally called away, I lay there broken, defeated. I had simply lost the will to continue. But then, as I laid there, I heard a voice asking if I was alright. Looking up, I saw a girl, a human girl, watching me. I tried to get up, but found that I couldn't. So, she helped me to the nurse. She saved my life that day, and we have been best friends ever since."

"At least things turned out alright," Kristofer said with a smile, one which Ila returned.

"Sorry to spoil the mood," Mac said, as he stopped walking. "But take a look at this."

In front of the group lay what appeared to be some kind of ruin. Large pillars in varying states of decay surrounded a circular central platform that had been mostly covered in grass and weeds. In front of each pillar was a pedestal at waist height, and atop each pedestal were what appeared to be chess pieces.

"Think these are the relics?" Artie asked.

"Judging by the fact that there seem to be four of each, I assume so," Mac replied, grabbing four black rooks, tossing them to the other three.

Looking at his piece thoughtfully, Kristofer walked over to Ila. "Here," he said, handing it to her.

"B-but…"

"Give it to Rachael." He looked back at Arty and Mac. "To be honest, I don't think the twins and I were necessarily supposed to be all in one group."

Before she could respond, two girls landed among the group. Kristofer immediately recognized one of them as Yang. The other wore a white blouse and a black vest. Below the waist, she wore clinging white short shorts, and dark purple stockings. On her right arm, she had a ribbon wrapped around it that reached to a blade on her back. But, for some reason he couldn't figure out, Kristofer's eyes were drawn to the large black bow that she wore atop her waist-length black hair. That, and her sharp, auburn eyes.

"Hey, Kristofer!" Yang exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Well," he began, but Artie cut him off.

"Kristofer, could you introduce me…err…_us_ to your friends?"

"Sure," Kristofer replied. "Artie, Mac, Ila, this is Yang and…" he paused, as he had never actually met the other girl before.

"Blake," she finished for him with a smile.

As they talked, suddenly a high pitched scream pierced the air.

"Some girl's in trouble!" Yang exclaimed, turning to Blake. "Shouldn't we do something?"

Blake however was looking up at the sky. "Uh, Yang?" she said.

"Heads up!" a voice yelled.

Rachael was really starting to worry at this point. Naturally being impatient, she didn't realize that she'd only been searching for a mere ten minutes. To her, it felt like she'd been searching for hours. "Ila?!" she called desperately. Where was she?

Suddenly, Rachael had an idea. Quickly, she began to climb the nearest tree. While she may have not been a Faunus, she certainly was as nimble as one. However, as she jumped towards a black branch, she was startled as it suddenly moved out of reach on its own, causing her to plummet back towards the ground. Flailing wildly, she managed to grab onto a branch to slow her descent.

As Rachael hit the ground, she looked up just in time to teleport out of the way of a massive creature as it landed with a crash right where she had been standing. This creature was like something out of someone's nightmares. At first glance, it appeared to be a fifteen foot tall, black praying mantis, except for the fact that it had two additional sets of forelegs, as well as another set protruding from its back. Speaking of its back, the entire spiked carapace was made of the white bone structure with red runes that was characteristic with each and every Grimm.

Turning its head to look at Rachael, the Khoisan let out a bloodcurdling shriek, rearing up on its hind legs threateningly. It then proceeded to charge in her direction, nimbly weaving through the trees, despite its enormous size.

Realizing this was way out of her league, Rachael turned tail and ran. However, the Khoisan was marginally faster than her, and she had to resort to teleporting to avoid the creature's swipes. _Wherever she is, _Rachael thought grimly. _I hope Ila is better off than me._


	6. Chapter 5: Players and Pieces

**_Five minutes earlier…_**

_Juane Arc stared into a cave, gulping as darkness stared back. Turning to his partner, a red haired, armor-clad girl name Pyrrha, he asked, "Do you think this is it?"_

_After Juane made a torch and the pair entered the cave, Pyrrha replied, "I'm not quite sure this is it."_

_Sighing in exasperation, Juane said, "Pyrrha, I made the torch. Could you humor me for maybe two more feet?" Once he said this, he tripped over a rock, dropping the torch into a puddle, plunging the two into darkness as it was extinguished. "Ow," Juane groaned, getting up off the ground._

_"Juane," Pyrrha asked. "Do you…feel that?"_

_"Soul crushing regret?"_

_"No. It feels…warm."_

_With no choice but to keep moving forward, the pair were momentarily surprised when a light suddenly appeared ahead of them. The source appeared to be a golden colored object suspended above the ground._

_"That's the relic!" Juane exclaimed, running towards it. As he went to grab it, the "relic" moved out of reach. "Huh?" Juane lunged again, and once again it moved out of reach. "Bad relic!" He lunged again, and this time he succeeded in grabbing ahold of it. "Gotcha!"_

_"Juane…" Pyrrha began, worry lacing her voice. But before she could say anything, the "relic" carried Juane farther back, revealing that he was actually holding onto the stinger of a massive scorpion-like Grimm. Juane's earsplitting scream could be heard throughout the entire forest._

_As Pyrrha ran out of the cave, the Deathstalker exploded through the cave entrance after her._

_"Pyrrha!" Juane yelled. "Pyrrha! This is not the relic! It's not! Do something!"_

_"Juane, whatever you do, don't let…" before she could finish her sentence, the Deathstalker pulled its tail back and launched Juane far above the forest. "…go."_

_Turning back to the monster, Pyrrha pulled out her sword and shield. Then, looking at her weapons, she chided herself for thinking they'd be of any use against this thing. Looking up at her opponent, she gulped and started running._

**_Meanwhile…_**

_High above the Emerald Forest, both Weiss, a white-haired girl wearing a light blue, nearly white, dress, and Ruby clung to the back of an enormous raven-like creature called a Nevermore. The Grimm was clearly upset, as it struggled to shake off its unwelcome passengers. Speaking of said passengers, the pair were arguing intensely._

_"Ruby! I told you this was a terrible idea!" Weiss shouted above the wind rushing past them._

_"We're fine," Ruby replied. "Stop worrying!"_

_"Oh, I am SO far beyond worrying!"_

_Ruby hesitated. "In a good way?!"_

_"In a bad way! In a VERY bad way!"_

_"Well, why don't we just jump?"_

_"What ARE you?! Insane?!" Looking up, she saw that Ruby had already jumped. "WHY YOU INSUFFERABLE LITTLE RED…"_

**_Now…_**

"Heads up!" Ruby yelled to everyone's horror as she fell towards the ground. Then, as if in slow motion, someone or something hit her mid-fall, and the two flew into a tree. "What was that?" Ruby wondered, shaking her head to clear it. Looking up, she was shocked to find Juane hanging from a branch above her. "Juane?" she said.

"Ruby?" he exclaimed, similarly surprised.

"Did your sister just fall from the sky?" Blake asked.

"I, uh…" Yang started, but was cut off by an explosion as a large bear burst into the clearing with an orange haired girl with a grenade launcher riding it like she was at a rodeo. She fired once more, and it fell over, presumably dead. Looking over the corpse, she said, "Aww, it's broken."

A black haired boy clad in a green tunic and purple pants stepped out from behind the Ursa, looking like he was ready to throw up. "Nora," he said. "Let's never do that again." But, his words fell on deaf ears, as Nora had vanished. Looking up, he found her at one of the pedestals, inspecting a golden rook.

"Oooh!" she exclaimed. Snatching it up, she chanted, "I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!"

"Nora!" the boy called angrily, stopping her in her tracks.

"Coming Ren!" she replied with a salute.

"Did they just ride here on an Ursa?" Artie asked.

Suddenly, Pyrrha burst out of the forest, the Deathstalker on her heels. "Pyrrha!" Juane shouted as Ruby gasped in shock before jumping down to meet everyone on the ground.

Then, as she jumped down, Yang exclaimed, "Ruby?!"

"Yang!" Ruby responded, as the two went to hug each other.

However, they were interrupted as Nora burst up between them, yelling, "Nora!"

"Did she just run all the way here while being chased by a Deathstalker?" Mac asked.

Finally having had enough, Yang shouted, "Will everyone just chill out for ten seconds before something crazy happens again?!" She then sighed in exasperation as Ruby tapped her on the shoulder.

"Umm, Yang?" she said, pointing up at Weiss, who was still holding on to the Nevermore.

"HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME?!" she shouted.

"I said 'jump'," Ruby muttered.

"She's gonna fall."

"She'll be fine."

"She's falling."

Juane, finally having managed to untangle himself from the branch, looked up to find Weiss falling through the air. Smiling at the opportunity, he leapt from the branch. As she fell into his arms, he smoothly asked, "Just dropping by?" Then, looking down, he realized he had no way to get down. "Oh god!" The two abruptly fell, Juane providing his body as a cushion for Weiss as she landed.

"My hero," she said sarcastically.

"My back," Juane groaned.

"Well, that was…eventful…" Kristofer said, his mind blown by everything that had just happened. He still wasn't sure what exactly HAD happened.

The Deathstalker roared, and suddenly Pyrrha landed beside the group.

"Great," Yang said. "Now we can all die together."

"Not if I can help it," Ruby said, pulling out her weapon. She then launched herself towards the Deathstalker, landing a blow on one of its claws. However, it was barely fazed. "D-don't worry," she stuttered at her lack of results. "Everything's totally fine." Firing at the Grimm, she transformed her scythe back into its compact mode before sprinting away. However, she had forgotten about the Nevermore. With a shriek, the monstrous bird launched a barrage of razor sharp feathers at the fleeing girl. One of them snagged her cape, knocking her to the ground.

Ruby looked up in horror to see the Deathstalker lift its stinger, preparing to strike. As the stinger began its descent, something dashed past Ruby, and the stinger was suddenly encased in a block of ice.

As Ruby opened her eyes, she found Weiss lecturing her.

"You are _so_ childish."

"Weiss?" Ruby asked.

Weiss wasn't done, "And dimwitted, and hyperactive. And don't get me started about your fighting style. And I suppose I can be a bit…difficult. But, if we're going to do this, we're going to have to do this together. So if _you_ will stop trying to show off, I'll try to be…nicer."

"I'm not trying to show off," Ruby explained as Weiss helped her up. "I just want you to know that I can do this."

"You're fine."

Artie and Mac looked at each other.

"Am I missing something?" Artie asked.

Mac shrugged.

Once everyone regrouped, Juane pointed to the Nevermore. "Guys, that thing's circling back. What are we gonna do?"

"Well," Kristofer said. "The objective _is_ right here."

The others nodded in agreement as Ruby suggested, "I say we take the relics and run. There's no need to fight these things."

"Run and live," Juane said. "That's an idea I can get behind."

"What about Rachael?" Ila spoke up.

"Don't worry mate, we'll fi…" Artie began but was cut off as Rachael came bursting out of the woods, the Khoisan right behind her.

"Oh god, run!" Juane exclaimed, signaling a stampede of everyone there.

The group was chased to another set of ruins, one which was overlooked by the cliff on which they started. Between them and the cliff was a large chasm, over which a bridge connected their side to a structure in the middle. Another identical bridge then spanned from the structure to the other side. Everyone ducked behind pillars as the Nevermore perched atop the structure in the middle of the chasm, shrieking a challenge.

"Well, that's just great," Yang muttered.

Suddenly, the Khoisan burst out of the forest behind them, quickly followed by the Deathstalker, which had broken free from the ice.

"We have to keep moving!" Kristofer shouted.

"Nora," Ren said. "Distract it!"

Running out towards the Nevermore, whilst avoiding a volley of feathers, Nora pulled out her grenade launcher, using it like a Flak cannon against the massive bird. Enraged, the Nevermore shrieked again, taking flight. However, Nora wasn't looking behind her, and didn't realize that the Deathstalker was preparing to strike until it was too late. Luckily, Weiss got to her in time, getting her out of the way. As the group got to the bridge, Pyrrha, Kristofer, Artie, and Mac turned back to face the two insectoids.

"Go," Pyrrha commanded. "We'll cover you!" She then equipped her sword and shield, transforming the blade into a rifle, firing as soon as the transformation was completed. Arty and Mac quickly followed suit, transforming their bracers, each launching glaives and firing laser pulses respectively. Kristofer however, charged the creatures, whipping his weapons out.

As the rest of the group ran across the bridge, the Nevermore smashed through it, scattering the students. Ren, Ila, Rachael and Blake landed on the insectoids' side, while Juane, Ruby, Yang, Weiss, and Nora landed on the other.

Picking himself off the ground, Juane looked across the chasm. "We have to get over there, they need our help."

"Then let's do this," Nora said.

"Yeah, but, I don't think I can make that jump."

Grinning, Nora knocked Juane to the ground with her weapon. Then, she transformed it into a large hammer, from the back end of which came an explosion. The explosion propelled the hammer downward towards the edge of what remained of the bridge, causing it to catapult Juane across to the other side. Flipping her weapon around so that it faced where Juane was headed, Nora stood on the head of the hammer, and pulled the trigger, launching herself directly at the Deathstalker. As she approached it, she swung the hammer down on its head. She then fired again, propelling her backwards away from it, bumping an unfortunate Blake off the bridge.

After a moment of being stunned, Blake pulled out what appeared to be a pistol with a blade pointing backwards. She launched the gun, which was actually attached to a ribbon around her arm. She hooked it onto a column, and swung herself onto the bridge with Ruby and the others.

"Kristofer," Pyrrha shouted. "There's no room to fight both of them here!"

"Agreed!" he replied. "Rachael, Artie, Mac, Ila, this way!" Jumping up onto the back of the Khoisan, he whacked it upside the head. Then, catapulting off the head, he ran away from the bridge, friends and Khoisan in hot pursuit. Once he reached what he assumed was a good enough distance, he turned, deflecting a blow from one of the creature's forelegs and dove underneath it, coming out the other side.

"Ila," he commanded pointing to a nearby column. "Get on top of that pillar!"

Without hesitation, she followed his command, and swiftly began raining arrows down on it, but to no effect.

Jumping back on top, Kristofer managed to smash a club into one of the Khoisan's joints, causing it to scream in agony, throwing him off of its back. As he landed, he cushioned the impact by crouching his legs. Turning back around, he assessed the situation. From her position, Ila continuously fired arrows at the thing. Down on the ground, Artie was blocking the creature's attacks with his glaives while Mac and Rachael ran around, slicing at its legs.

"Ila!" Kristofer called. "Shoot out its eyes!"

Ila fired two glowing arrows, the pair dodging the legs on the Grimm's back, eventually hitting both of the creatures' eyes, causing it to rear back in rage and pain.

"Artie, get the legs on its back, aim for the joints!"

"You've got it mate!" Crossing his arms, Artie then launched his glaives, the pair looping around like boomerangs. Both glaives hit home, slicing the legs off.

"Rachael, Mac, dissection time!"

Quickly, the pair sliced off each of the creature's remaining limbs at the joints. Without any legs to support it, the Khoisan crashed to the ground.

"Rachael, I need a teleport!"

Rachael grabbed on to Kristofer, then teleported above the creature, dropping him and teleporting back to the ground. Kristofer raised the cudgels above his head, bringing them down onto the base of the creature's neck, hitting the spinal cord, and killing it.

Looking up, the group watched as Ruby ran up the cliff, scythe against the Nevermore's neck. As she reached the top, she let out one final burst with the rifle end, decapitating the giant bird. The Deathstalker, was, Kristofer presumed, already taken care of.

"Well," Artie said, stepping forward. "That was certainly a beaut."

"Too right," Mac replied.

**_That night…_**

Every student had indeed made it back to the cliff, more or less alive. After a rather talkative dinner, all of the students at the school, including those who had already been there, were called to meet in the auditorium for the yearly team naming ceremony.

Kristofer waited anxiously with the twins as names were called off. So far, there had been two teams formed. The first one was Team CRDL (Cardinal), consisting of Cardin Winchester as the leader, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark. Kristofer didn't recognize a single one of them, but he did recognize the next group. The next team was Team JNPR (Juniper), consisting of Juane Arc, who was the leader, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren.

As team JNPR stepped off, Professor Ozpin called out for Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long. They were made into Team RWBY (Ruby), led by Ruby. It was at this point that Kristofer started to worry. Did the fact that he didn't bring back a chess piece mean that he failed initiation?

His worries were laid to rest when Professor Ozpin called, "Kristofer Schade, Artie Noctis, Mac Noctis, Rachael Umbra, and Ila Seraphim please step forward." Once they all assembled, he said, "We don't normally do this, but under these circumstances we can make an exception. All five of you will become members of Team SAMRI (Samurai), led by Kristofer Schade."

"Good onya mate!" Artie exclaimed, punching a dumbfounded Kristofer in the shoulder.

Watching the teams, Ozpin muttered with amusement, "This is certainly shaping up to be a very interesting year."

**_Meanwhile, in a rundown warehouse in Vale…_**

Torchwick slammed down the phone, cutting off the person on the other end. He was sick and tired of having to deal with all of these incompetent louts. As he lit a cigarette, one of his men rolled in a cart of dust. Once he paid the henchman, he had him open the case, revealing rows upon rows of various different kinds of Dust crystals. "We're going to need more men," he muttered. There was no way this miniscule amount was enough to satisfy his employer's quite significant demands.

"Or maybe one of me," a voice said from the back of the room, although it seemed to echo all around.

Torchwick pulled out his cane, while the henchman pulled out a gun. Torchwick hit a button on his scroll with his free hand, signaling least six other men to come in with weapons drawn. "Show yourself," Torchwick demanded.

A man stepped forward. All he wore was a black, hooded cloak. His face was completely shrouded in shadow, and he carried a staff with a single red crystal at the end. "Roman," the voice said, still reverberating eerily around them. "You really should warn your men not to play with guns." With a flick of his wrist, the guns in the hands of each of the men exploded, eliciting more than one scream of pain out of them. "They're dangerous."

Recovering, the men pulled out wicked looking red blades, and charged the mysterious man. "Tsk, tsk, tsk," he said. "Those aren't toys either." As the goons swung at him, he vanished, and the men managed to slice one another's throats instead, killing each of them. Reappearing behind them, the man said mockingly, "Oh, such a pity." Then, looking up, he seemed to realize something. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I never introduced myself, how rude of me. I have many names, but you may simply call me the Necromancer."

"What do you want," Torchwick asked, tightening his grip on his cane.

"Me? Well, there are quite a few different things I _want_. But, if you're referring to why I'm here, I want to make you a deal."

"A deal?"

"Yes, as you can see, I'm more than capable in a fight. I'm willing to lend these services to your benefit."

"Alright, what do you want in return?"

"The head of Kristofer Schade."


	7. Chapter 6: The Stray

Kristofer was in awe as he looked around the city. The best description for his behavior would be the "kid in a candy store" analogy. He and his team had taken a trip down to the city of Vale on their day off to watch the preparations for the upcoming Vytal Festival.

Rachael couldn't help but laugh. "Kristofer," she tried, but he didn't hear her. So, she snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Kristofer, hey Kristofer!" Once she got his attention, she continued, "What's with you? It's like you've never been to a festival before."

Lowering his head slightly, he explained, "Well, that's because I haven't. We were always at war, there was never any occasion for such celebrations."

"I'm sorry," Rachael apologized, after receiving angry glares from her other teammates. "I forgot."

"It's alright," Kristofer said, looking up with a smile. "All of that's behind me now. Nothing but smooth sailing ahead."

The rest of the morning went rather smoothly. Despite the lack of any finished attractions, the team managed to have plenty of fun. As they walked past the docks, a ship horn caught their attention.

"Ooh!" Rachael exclaimed. "Some of the students from the other kingdoms are arriving! Let's go see!" No sooner had she said that than she had begun sprinting towards the pier, the rest of the team in tow.

Suddenly, Kristofer stopped, turning his head towards a darkened alley.

Ila, who was behind Kristofer, quickly sidestepped around him before coming to a stop. "Kristofer?" she asked. "What's the matter?" She received no response. Instead, Kristofer began walking towards the entrance to the alley. Looking around, Ila realized the others had already disappeared. Sighing, she started after him.

The difference between the alley and just outside was literally like night and day. While outside was warm and sunny, the alley was cold and dark. No sunlight reached the ground here. The place seemed flat out forbidding.

Nervously, Ila gripped Kristofer's arm. The latter, who seemed to be in a trance, did not respond. As they walked, Ila shrieked as a rat brushed by her leg.

Finally taking notice, Kristofer quickly grabbed Ila, covering her mouth with his hand. "Shhh," he said, looking down the alleyway. Then, turning to her, he noticed the sheer terror in her eyes. Quickly, he let go of her. "S-sorry. I didn't mean…" He lowered his head, embarrassed. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"N-no, I think I'm okay." Taking a step closer, she asked, "Kristofer, what's wrong?"

"I don't know exactly. It just fee…" Before he could finish his sentence, something leapt out of the shadows at him. Kristofer narrowly evaded, jumping above the attacker and landing behind it, pulling out his weapons.

As quick as she could, Ila pulled out a light, fumbling with the switch. When she finally got it turned on, it revealed a brown haired girl in a skintight black leather suit. Upon closer inspection, something seemed to be off. It was almost as if the girl wasn't quite there.

"Katie?" Kristofer whispered in shock. Before Ila could ask, the girl snarled and again lunged at Kristofer. Seeing that he wasn't going to move, Ila whipped out Coelestis, using it to slice the girl in two. As the two halves of the girl flew apart, they quickly disintegrated into wisps of black smoke.

"Wha…" Ila asked, eyes blinking in shock.

"Ila, behind you!"

Ila had just enough time to move out of the way as a man with a blade in hand fell from above.

Without wasting any time, Kristofer brought his cudgel down on the guy's head, knocking him out.

"Is he…dead?" Ila asked.

Kristofer crouched down, rolling the body over. Checking for a pulse, he said, "No, just unconscious. I wonder who he is."

Ila stepped closer and gasped.

"What is it?"

"His mask, and that slashed wolf marking on his chest. He's a member of the White Fang!"

"The terrorist group? Why would they want to attack Faunus like you and me?"

"I…I don't know…"

"Well," Kristofer said, standing up. "Regardless, we should report this to the police."

As the pair walked towards the other end of the alley, Ila couldn't help but think about what Kristofer said. Finally, she got up the courage to ask, "Kristofer?"

"Hmmm?"

"Who's Katie?"

Kristofer thought for a moment. "To be honest, I'm not quite sure. I know she's someone from before…well… Anyways, I feel like she was someone important to me, but, I don't know why."

By this time, the two had arrived at the end of the alley. As they left the darkness behind them, the pair found a store with evidence of breaking and entering that had been blocked off by crime tape.

"Well, that was convenient," Kristofer grinned. Walking up to one of the police officers, he asked, "Pardon me officer, I know you're busy, but could I talk to you for a moment?"

"Better keep it quick kid."

"My friend and I were just attacked by a member of the White Fang. We managed to knock him out and we left him in an alley back there."

This caught the officer's attention. "The White Fang you say? Are you sure?"

Both Ila and Kristofer nodded their heads.

Stroking his beard, the officer said, "I'll send someone to investigate. Thanks for letting me know." Then, as an afterthought, he asked, "Neither of you got hurt or anything?"

"No sir."

"Good."

As the officer walked off, Kristofer heard a familiar voice ask, "What happened here?"

Turning to look, he found Ruby and her teammates talking to the other police officer there.

"Robbery," the officer said. "Second dust shop to be hit this week. This place is turning into a jungle."

"That's terrible," Yang whispered.

"They left all the money again," the first cop said.

"Yeah, it just doesn't make a lick of sense," the other replied. "Who needs that much dust?"

"I don't know. Ya know what I mean?"

"You thinking the, uh, the White Fang?"

"Yeah, I'm thinking we don't get payed enough."

"The White Fang again?" Kristofer asked.

The girls finally took notice of Kristofer and Ila.

"Oh, hey guys!" Ruby exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"We were attacked by a member of the White Fang," Ila explained.

"That hardly seems likely," Blake quickly replied. "How can you be so sure about that?"

"W-well, I, uh…" Ila stammered, holding her arm in embarrassment.

"He had the mark on his shirt as well as the mask," Kristofer stepped in. "Not to mention that he _was_ a Faunus."

"Anyone could put on a mask," Blake shot back defensively.

"What's with you, Blake?" Weiss asked. "Why are you trying to protect that band of Faunus scum?"

"Now wait just a minute," Kristofer began, but was interrupted by a commotion coming from the loading docks. Running over, the group found a blonde haired Faunus with a long tail similar to Kristofer's hanging from a light above the pier.

"You no good stowaway!" one of the workers on the boat shouted.

The Faunus began peeling a banana. "Hey! A no good stowaway would've been caught," he quipped. "I'm a great stowaway." As soon as he said this, he had to dodge a rock thrown at him by one of the cops from the crime scene.

"Hey! Get down from there this instant," the cop said.

However, instead of complying, the Faunus threw a banana in his face. He then jumped down, laughing as if it were a game before running off, cops in pursuit.

"Well," Yang said to Weiss. "You came to see the competition, and there it goes."

"Quick!" Weiss exclaimed. "We have to observe him!" With that, team RWBY vanished in pursuit of the stowaway.

Kristofer and Ila just watched them go, dumbstruck at what they'd just seen. "Well," Kristofer said. "That was a thing."


	8. Chapter 7: Black and White

_Team RWBY chased after the Faunus, but were stopped when they collided with a girl with bright orange hair. They determined that this girl (who was named Penny), though odd, was intending to participate in the tournament, giving Weiss an idea._

_"Wait a minute," she said, grabbing Penny by the shoulders. "If you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed…rapscallion?"_

_"The who?" Penny asked in confusion._

_"The filthy Faunus from the boat!"_

_"Why do you keep saying that," Blake demanded, angrily pacing towards Weiss. "Huh? Stop calling him a rapscallion. Stop calling him a degenerate. He's a person!"_

_"Oh, I'm sorry," Weiss said with mock apology. "Would you like me to stop referring to this trash can as a trash can, or this lamp post as a lamp post?!"_

_"Stop it!"_

_"Stop what? He clearly broke the law. Give him some time; he'll probably join up with those other Faunus in the White Fang."_

_"You ignorant little brat!" Blake exclaimed before stalking away from Weiss._

_"How dare you talk to me like that!" Weiss replied, pursuing Blake. "I am your teammate."_

_"_You_ are a judgmental little girl."_

_"What in the world makes you say that?!"_

_"The mere fact that you would sort that Faunus boy with a terrorist group, solely based on his species, makes you just as much of a scoundrel as you believe him to be."_

**_Jump to Team RWBY's dorm room…_**

_"So you admit it, the White Fang _is_ just a radical group of terrorists."_

_"That's not what I meant, and you know it."_

_"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem."_

_"That _is_ the problem."_

_"You realize you are defending an organization that hates humanity, don't you? The Faunus of the White Fang are pure evil."_

_"There's no such thing as pure evil! Why do you think they hate humanity so much?! It's because of people like Cardin, people like _you_ that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!"_

_"People like _me_?"_

_"You're discriminatory!"_

_"I'm a victim!" There was a stunned pause. Crossing over to the windowsill, Weiss continued quietly, "You want to know why I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus? It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War, as in actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember. And ever since I was a child, I watched family and friends disappear, board members executed, an entire train car of dust stolen. And every day, my father would come home furious. And that made for a very difficult childhood!"_

_Crossing over to Weiss, Ruby attempted to put a hand on her shoulder. "Weiss, I…"_

_"No!" she exclaimed, turning back to Blake. "You want to know why I despise the White Fang?! It's because they're a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers!"_

_Furious, Blake shouted, "WELL, MAYBE WE WERE JUST TIRED OF BEING PUSHED AROUND!"_

_The moment the words left her mouth, Blake instantly regretted it. Weiss, in shock, took a step back, mouth agape._

_Blake also took a step back with her head down. "I…" Without finishing what she was about to say, she bolted out of the room._

**_Elsewhere…_**

"So," Kristofer muttered as he and Ila walked through Beacon's front gates, returning from their rather eventful day in Vale. "What do we do now?"

Ila looked over at him questioningly. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, we _were_ just attacked. I know going to the police was the right move to make, but, it seemed like that assassin was after us specifically. As long as someone might have a target on our backs, I don't feel safe. Do you?"

After a moment of hesitation, Ila shook her head in agreement. "So, do you intend to go after the White Fang?"

"Yep."

"W-well, count me in!"

"Ila?" Kristofer asked, mildly surprised.

"That assassin tried to kill me too. I want to know why. Not to mention that I…" she trailed off, turning her head away and clutching her hand to her chest.

"You what?"

"N-nothing. Never…never mind."

Kristofer shrugged. "Well, even if we plan on going after them, there's still the issue of how we're going to find them. Any ideas?"

Ila thought for a minute before shaking her head.

"Well," Kristofer said. "I do. Remember that Faunus from the boat earlier? Well, though he might not be a part of a terrorist group, he doesn't seem to always be on the right side of the law. People like that can easily find criminal groups, so, if we can find him, he can help lead us to them." Rubbing his chin, he then added, "The problem is actually finding him though."

"I don't see any problem with that," a voice off to their right said. Turning, the pair found the Faunus sitting in a tree.

"How much did you hear?" Kristofer asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

The Faunus shrugged. "Enough. Those jerks in the White Fang give us a bad name, so you can count me in. I'm Sun by the way. Sun Wukong."

"I'm Kristofer, and this is Ila."

As he said this, the three spotted a figure running from the dorms. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was a very distraught Blake. She stopped in front of a statue and just sat there staring up at it. Then, after wiping away a couple tears, she slowly began to untie the large bow on her head, revealing a pair of cat ears.

Kristofer looked over at Sun and noticed a sort of longing look in his eyes. "Hey," he whispered. "Why don't you go comfort her? We'll be right behind you."

"You serious?" When Kristofer nodded, he smiled and went over to her, saying, "I knew you would look better without the bow."

Surprised, Blake looked back at Sun, Kristofer and Ila, and then smiled sadly.

"I'm Sun, by the way," Sun explained. "So, if you want, you could crash with me for tonight." When Blake nodded, he quickly turned back to Kristofer and Ila saying, "Of course, you guys are welcome as well."

Kristofer looked at Ila, who had done the same to him. When she shook her head, he turned back to Sun, saying "Thanks, but no thanks. Our team will be worried if we don't show up. How about we meet again tomorrow?"

"That sounds good. How about the Nature Town Café at 7:00?"

"We'll see you there."

**_The next morning…_**

Kristofer and Ila managed to sneak out without being noticed by the rest of their team. As they walked across the campus, much to their dismay, they ran into the fighting instructor, Professor Port. However, he merely laughed, muttering something about young love before continuing on.

When the pair reached the café, they found Blake and Sun already there. Sun, who was holding his cup of coffee with his tail, waved at the other two as they walked in, while Blake, who was once again wearing her bow, didn't even acknowledge them.

After she sat down, Ila asked Blake, "H-how are you feeling today?"

When Blake didn't respond, Sun said, "She hasn't said much since we found her last night."

Right as he said that, Blake sighed and asked, "So, you want to know more about me?"

"Finally, she speaks!" Sun exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. "All you've given me is small talk and weird looks." As she glared at him, he said, "Yeah, like that."

Blake rolled her eyes, allowing herself a small smile. "Are you all familiar with the White Fang?"

"Of course," Sun said. "I don't think there's a Faunus on the planet who hasn't heard about them. Stupid, 'holier than thou' creeps who use force to get whatever they want. Bunch of freaks if you ask me."

"Well, I was…once a member of the White Fang."

Everyone did a spit take. "Y-you were a member of the White Fang?!" Ila exclaimed, quickly clamping her hand over her mouth, looking around to make sure no one else had heard her. Luckily, they were the only ones there.

"That's right. I was a member for most of my life actually. You can almost say I was born into it. Back then, things were different. In the ashes of war, the White Fang was meant to be a symbol of peace and unity between humans and the Faunus. Of course, despite being promised equality, the Faunus were subjected to discrimination and hate. Humanity still thought of us as lesser beings. And so, the White Fang rose up as a voice of our people. And I was there. I was at the front of every rally. I took part in every boycott. And I actually thought we were making a difference. But, I was just a youthful optimist.

"Then, five years ago, our leader stepped down and a new one took his place. A new leader, with a new way of thinking. Suddenly, our peaceful protests were being replaced with organized attacks. We were setting fire to shops that refused to serve us, hijacking cargo from companies that used Faunus labor, and the worst part was; it was working. We were being treated like equals. But not out of respect, out of fear.

"So, I left. I decided I no longer wanted to use my skills to aid in their violence. Instead I would dedicate my life to becoming a huntress. So, here I am, a criminal hiding in plain view. All with the help of a little black bow."

Everyone just sat there stunned. Finally, Sun, in a surprisingly serious tone of voice, asked, "So, have you told your friends any of this?"

…

"Hey, Mac, have you seen Kristofer anywhere today?" Artie asked as he put on his bracers.

Mac shook his head. "I can't say I have."

"I can't find Ila either," Rachael added.

Mac rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps they're together? Who knows?" He grinned. "Maybe they're sweet for each other."

"You know," Artie said, smiling as well. "I could actually see that."

As the trio walked down the hall, they encountered Team RWBY (minus Blake).

"Are you sure you didn't see her this morning?" Ruby asked, worry lacing her voice.

"Unfortunately, yes," Yang replied.

"Do you really think she would show up after what she said last night?" Weiss demanded. "You heard what she said."

"G'day, girls," Artie said, walking up to them. "Is something the matter?"

Ruby looked at the rest of her team before saying, "Yes. Blake and Weiss had an argument last night. Blake ran off, and we haven't seen her since."

"Wait," Mac said. "Do you know approximately what time Blake left?"

Taken aback, Ruby said, "Well, uh, maybe around 6:00 or so, I think."

"That's not long before Kristofer and Ila returned," Mac muttered. "I almost wonder if…" He looked up to see everyone staring at him. "Oh, sorry. If you'd like, we could help you look for her?"

"That would be great!" Ruby exclaimed.

"But, don't you need Kristofer's permission?" Weiss asked.

This time, it was the others' turn to feel slightly uneasy.

"Well," Mac began.

"He and Ila went missing this morning," Rachael blurted out.

Mac nodded. "I was just thinking that perhaps they're with Blake."

"For their sakes, I hope not," Weiss stated darkly.

"Come again?" Arty asked.

"She's a member of the White Fang," Weiss explained.

"Are you certain?" Mac asked.

"Well," Yang explained. "She didn't necessarily outright say it."

"Don't worry," Arty said reassuringly. "We'll help you find her."

…

"So," Kristofer asked Blake. The four Faunus had left the café and were now together down the street. "You don't think the White Fang is behind these robberies?"

"No," Blake replied. "I'm sure of it. They've never needed this much dust before."

Sun stopped, an idea popping into his head. "What if they did?" Slowly drawing out each word, as though he was thinking of what he wanted to say as he said it, he continued, "I mean, the only way to prove that they didn't do it is to go to the place where they would most likely go to if they were to do it, and not find them there, right?"

"You didn't hurt yourself coming up with that, did you?" Kristofer quipped, earning a giggle from Ila and a punch in the shoulder from Sun.

Rolling her eyes, Blake explained, "The problem is, I don't know where that place might be."

"Well," Sun said, "While I was on the ship, I heard some guys talking about off-loading a _huge_ shipment of dust coming in from Atlas."

"How huge?" Kristofer asked.

"_Huge_," he responded, spreading out his arms in emphasis. "Big Schnee Co. freighter."

"Are you sure?"

Sun smiled.

…

"Thanks anyways," Yang called to the shopkeeper as she, Weiss, and Mac left the shop. Once outside, she said, "This is hopeless." After a moment, she added, "You really don't care if we find her, do you Weiss?"

"Don't be stupid," Weiss replied. "Of course I do." Turning away, she muttered, "I'm just afraid of what she'll say when we find her."

"I don't think you need to be," Mac piped up. "Though quiet and mysterious on the surface, I can tell that deep down, Blake is a very nice girl. I honestly don't think she would still be a member of that group. Besides, if you remember, they weren't always violent."

"There's one problem," Weiss said. "The innocent never run."

**_That night…_**

Blake, Ila and Kristofer lay on top of a shipping crate, silently monitoring the docks below. As they watched, Sun returned with a bag of apples. "Did I miss anything?" he asked.

"Not really," Ila reported, her fox ears twitching in what could either be nervousness, or anticipation.

"They offloaded all the crates from the boat," Blake explained. "Now they're just sitting there."

"Cool," Sun replied. Putting the bag down he added, "I stole all of you some food."

"Do you always break the law without a second thought?" Blake asked incredulously.

"Hey! Weren't you in some kind of cult or something?" After receiving Blake's death glare, he quickly stated, "Okay, too soon."

Suddenly, a large airship, much like the one Torchwick used when he escaped Kristofer and Ruby, flew over them, landing in a clearing among the all of the shipping crates. Once it landed, out walked a man clad in white, wearing a feral-looking mask. On his back was a red image of a wolf with three bloody slashes in the background.

"Oh no," Blake whispered.

"Is that them?" Kristofer asked.

"Yes, it's them."

"You really didn't think it was them, did you," Sun asked.

Blake shook her head. "No, I think deep down I knew. I just didn't want to be right."

"Hey!" a somewhat familiar voice shouted. "What's the hold up?!" Roman Torchwick slowly walked down the ramp. "We're not the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment, so, why don't you animals try to pick up the pace?"

"Isn't the White Fang a Faunus only group?" Kristofer asked.

Ila nodded.

"This isn't right," Blake said in shock. "The White Fang would _never_ work with a human." She stood up and pulled her sword out of its sheathe. "Especially not one like him."

"Hold on," Kristofer started as Sun asked, "Wait, what are you doing?"

Without responding, Blake jumped to the ground, slowly sneaking up on Torchwick.

Kristofer sighed. "Ila?"

"Yes?"

"You see that crane over there?" He pointed to a crane that overlooked the entire clearing where the airship had landed. "I want you to use that as a vantage point in case things get ugly."

"Yes sir," Ila replied with a mock salute before dashing off.

"Sun, let's go see if we can't give Blake some backup."

Blake peered around a corner, watching Torchwick disciplining someone carrying a cable.

"No you idiot," he said. "This isn't a leash."

As he turned his back to her, Blake swiftly moved forward, grabbing Torchwick and putting her blade against his throat.

"What the?!" Torchwick exclaimed. Realizing what happened, he said, "Oh for f…"

"Nobody move!" Blake ordered, cutting Torchwick off.

Two nearby thugs pulled out their weapons, one a sword and the other a gun.

"Whoa!" Torchwick exclaimed as more Faunus surrounded them. "Take it easy there, little lady."

Quickly, with her free hand, Blake untied her bow and threw it into the wind. "Brothers of the White Fang, why are you aiding this scum?"

Slightly embarrassed, the members of the White Fang lowered their weapons.

Torchwick chuckled. "Look kid, didn't you get the memo?"

"What are you talking about?!"

"The White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture together."

"Tell me what it is," she said, applying more pressure to Torchwick's throat. "Or I'll put an end to your little operation."

On cue, several more airships flew overhead, shining their searchlights upon the pair.

"I wouldn't exactly call it a 'little' operation," Torchwick shouted above the engines' roar. While Blake was distracted, he managed to point his cane at the ground behind him and fire it, knocking Blake back and freeing him from her grip.

Turning back to Blake, Torchwick began firing shot after shot at her. Running, Blake used her semblance to leave shadows of herself behind to take the hits. Quickly, she dashed out of sight behind a crate.

"Here, kitty kitty," Torchwick said, walking after her, only to get a face full of banana peel. Tossing it aside angrily, he looked up just in time for Sun to land on him, using Torchwick's face as a springboard before landing on his feet. Whirling around, Sun said, "Leave her alone."

As Torchwick got up, more than half a dozen armed thugs jumped out of an airship, surrounding Sun. "You're not the brightest banana in the bunch, are you kid?" Torchwick quipped.

"He's definitely brighter than you, Torchwick," Kristofer said, walking up behind him.

"Oh, hey kid," Torchwick said. "Where's your little red girlfriend?"

Kristofer shrugged. "Doesn't matter." Looking up at the crane, he made an odd motion with his hand. As he did so, several glowing yellow arrows flew at the thugs, quickly taking them out.

"What?!" Torchwick exclaimed. In his shock, he barely had enough time to block Kristofer as he swung his cudgels at the criminal. Knocking him back, Torchwick fired several shots, forcing Kristofer to retreat.

Meanwhile, Sun had to deal with another half dozen of Torchwick's lackeys. Once again surrounded, he pulled out a stick which unfolded into a bo. Slamming it on the ground, he created a shockwave that knocked several of the enemies off their feet. The first to recover ran at him with a sword, which Sun quickly deflected before bringing the bo down on the guy's head. As several more ran at him, he whirled the weapon around, rapidly hitting each of them on the head.

Torchwick, with Kristofer momentarily taken out of the equation, turned his attention back to Sun. Raising his cane, he fired a shot at Sun. In response, Sun began rapidly spinning his weapon, causing the shot to be absorbed. Growling in frustration, Torchwick ran at Sun, cane raised like a club. As he dashed towards the Faunus, he barely had enough time to dodge Blake as she lunged towards him.

Sun dashed over to assist, splitting his weapon into a pair of nunchucks with shotgun barrels at the ends. Whenever the ends aimed towards Torchwick, he'd fire. The momentum of the nunchucks as they swung was what reloaded the chambers. Torchwick found himself fighting enemies on both sides. He had to keep alternating between Sun and Blake, constantly on the defensive.

Finally, Torchwick found an opening. As he parried a strike from Blake, he kicked her in the gut. While she was occupied, he fired a shot at her, the explosion sending her flying into a crate, creating a giant dent.

"Noooo!" Sun shouted, blindly jumping at Torchwick, who promptly fired again, sending him flying as well.

"Too easy," Torchwick said, cackling maniacly.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Kristofer said, landing in front of Torchwick.

"What are you gonna do? Run away again?"

"I _will_ run," Kristofer said. "Just not in the direction you expect." With that, he began sprinting full speed at Torchwick, arms thrown back behind him. As Torchwick fired, Kristofer expertly sidestepped the shots without even breaking his stride. Right before he reached Torchwick however, a shadowy figure flew at him from the side, pinning him on the ground.

Looking up, Kristofer saw what appeared to be the same creature from the day before. The girl snarled as she held him down.

"Well done, Katie," a voice said. Kristofer couldn't pinpoint exactly where the voice was coming from, as it echoed around the dock, seeming to come from everywhere at once.

Suddenly, the Necromancer materialized above him. "Hello again, Kristofer."

Kristofer gasped as he suddenly remembered everything.

_"Hey, Kristofer," Justin shouted. "Come on in, the water's fine."_

_"I'm good," Kristofer responded. "I'd rather just rest here in the sand. I'm still exhausted from the combat exam the other day."_

_Justin shrugged. "Suit yourself."_

_Kristofer watched as Justin walked down to the ocean. This was an extraordinarily rare occasion for them. As candidates of the N.U.S.A.'s Project Phoenix, they were never allowed to have any fun. Now, having each passed the final exam, both Kristofer and Justin were given a week to indulge themselves in whatever way they saw fit before being shipped out to who knows where. As Kristofer thought about this, he noticed his CO in full uniform walking towards him._

_Scrambling to his feet, Kristofer put his arm up in salute as they reached him._

_"At ease, soldiers," the commander said as Justin ran back from the surf, imitating Kristofer's form exactly. "I'm sorry that I have to bother the both of you on your week off, but there's been a recent development that cannot wait. The both of you are having your vacations suspended until further notice."_

_"Yes sir!"_

_The CO lead the pair (once they had donned appropriate clothing) into the Daytona Naval Base's briefing room. Inside the room were a red haired girl and a bespectacled blonde haired boy. Despite not knowing them personally, Kristofer recognized them both as fellow members of Project Phoenix._

_"Sergeant Schade," the commander began. "I know you are already acquainted with Lieutenant Wirsch. Allow me to introduce you to the other members of your squad." He moved over to the girl. "This is Lieutenant Katie Lee. She will be your computer expert. She is the top of her class when it comes to hacking, splicing, all that stuff that old guys like me don't know anything about." He chuckled at this. Moving over to the other soldier, he said, "This is Lieutenant Michael Senpaison. Don't let the glasses put you off. He's one of the best snipers to come out of Phoenix."_

_Once everyone was introduced, the CO addressed the squad. "Now I'm sure you all are wondering why you're here. Our intel has identified the location of the Black Talon's leader. Nothing is really known about him other than he's very dangerous, and not to be underestimated. Your mission is to eliminate him, whatever the cost._

_"We will be transporting you via the new VX-38T _Condor_. This aircraft was special designed for stealth insertions. It carries its passengers up into the atmosphere. Once it reaches orbit, it launches a stealth probe to go and scope out a safe LZ. Once it finds one, the passengers are then transported to the surface via an experimental teleporter that the spooks in engineering developed. It has been tested, and there are no side effects, so you can relax._

_"Once you reach the surface, you'll be on your own. It was difficult enough for us to obtain the information about the target's location, let alone get a schematic of the facility. So, you'll be operating blind. Once you eliminate the target, you will have to improvise an escape route._

_"As for armament, we will let you choose your weapons. All weapons must be silenced, and no explosives except for C4 in the case of an emergency. You will be departing within the hour, so I suggest you get yourselves equipped. This is our one chance to cut the head off this beast, and we will not waste it. So, once you choose your weapons, return here immediately. You are dismissed."_

_…_

_Kristofer and his squad strapped themselves into the hybrid craft. Looking around, he approved of the weapons everyone had chosen. Michael had chosen the XG-41 "Spectre" Phase Rifle with Thermal Scope. Both Justin and Katie had picked ER-24 Energy Rifles. Kristofer, being the odd one out, chose two diamond reinforced steel cudgels. Everyone carried three charges of C4 with detonators, and everyone with guns carried an M-21E2 Plasma Pistol. As the craft took off, everyone cycled through their HUDs, making sure everything was in working order._

_At 42,000ft, the craft jolted as it transitioned from jet to rocket propulsion. Not long after they started, the engines stopped, signaling that they had achieved orbit. After approximately fifteen minutes, the light in the cargo bay turned red to signal imminent teleportation. A countdown then began. As it hit zero, everyone seemed to fade away. The feeling of the teleport wasn't as bad as one would expect, but it was unsettling due to the process causing those being teleported to temporarily be half in one location and half in another._

_Once back on earth, the squad fanned out, checking for patrols. When none were found, they settled into formation with Kristofer in the lead and Michael in the rear. However, it proved pointless as the complex was devoid of any guards whatsoever. However, they had a job to do and didn't plan to evacuate until they verified either the absence, or the death of the Black Talon leader. Once they reached the main computer room, Katie successfully identified the location of the target, as well as the hangar for their escape route._

_The target was in a massive room illuminated only by glowing runes of varying different shades on the walls and floor. All over the room were shelves containing crystals of different shapes and colors as well as jars of some kind of colored dust. "Katie," Kristofer whispered. "What do you make of this?"_

_"I don't know," she responded. "I've never seen anything like it. But, if I had to take a guess, he's either crazy, or he's some kind of necromancer."_

_Michael scoffed. "There's no such thing as necromancy."_

_"Oh contraire, my bespectacled guest," a voice said. "Your lady friend is quite right about the latter. As for the first, I'd prefer to say that I'm creative."_

_As the speaker was identified, Michael brought up his rifle, firing a single shot. The shot would've struck home if it weren't for the fact that the man he was targeting seemingly became intangible as the shot was fired, passing harmlessly through his head._

_The man sighed. "You really shouldn't have done that." He stuck out his hand at Michael, seemingly trying to grab him. The instant he did this, Michael grasped at his throat, unable to get any air. Then, raising his arm just a bit, he lifted Michael off the ground. Swinging his arm, he sent Michael flying against the wall. As he hit the ground, Michael began to disappear, a purplish light flowing from his disintegrating body into a staff in the Necromancer's hand. The crystal at the head of the staff started to pulse with a dim purple glow that became brighter as Michael slowly disappeared._

_"No!" Katie screamed, raising her energy rifle and firing. However, all the shots harmlessly passed through the Necromancer._

_"Looks like you'll be sharing the fate of your friend. But first, let's get rid of those weapons, I tire of having to see them." With a wave of his hand, all of the guns in the room crumpled into tiny balls of metal. "Now, for you my dear, I've got something very special." Michael had, at this point, completely disappeared into the staff. The Necromancer then aimed the staff at the floor, shooting a purple beam. That beam slowly formed into a humanoid shape until Michael was sitting there on the floor. Yet something seemed off, like he wasn't quite there. Turning towards Katie, he then snarled before pouncing at her knocking her to the ground._

_Katie screamed in terror. "Michael! It's me! Michael!"_

_Quickly turning to Justin, Kristofer said, "Retreat, we can't fight against this."_

_"Agreed!"_

_With that, the pair turned and ran._

_"You won't get far," the Necromancer's voice echoed throughout the hallways._

_As Kristofer and Justin ran, the hallways ahead of them seemed to change as they went until they had no idea which way was the exit. As they turned a corner, Justin tripped and fell. Before Kristofer could turn back, Michael had pounced on Justin. "Go!" Justin shouted. "It's too late for me, just go!" And so, without looking back, Kristofer continued onwards, tears starting to fill his eyes._

_Kristofer nearly slammed into a wall as he veered around a corner. He didn't dare look back at his pursuers, for fear that he might trip as well in the eerie twilight that suddenly filled this seemingly endless labyrinth of concrete hallways._

_Careening around another corner, he nearly ran into Katie. What had happened to Michael had seemingly happened to her as well._

_Kristofer narrowly dodged to the side as the mimicry of his former comrade lunged at him, snarling like some rabid beast. Quickly whirling around, he brought one of his two cudgels down on the back of the abomination's head before continuing his flight down the hallway._

_"Running is futile," the Necromancer's voice reverberated around him. "In the end, you will die like the rest of your squad."_

_"Not on my watch," Kristofer muttered to himself._

_In the distance, a light appeared in the semi-darkness. As Kristofer approached it, he found it to be a swirling white vortex in the middle of a doorway. Looking back, he saw two more shadows of his now deceased comrades running full tilt towards him down the corridor. Without another second of hesitation, he threw himself into the vortex._

_"__NOOO!__" the voice screamed in fury, but it was too late. Kristofer had vanished, the vortex blinking out_ _behind him._

Snapping back to reality, Kristofer began struggling against the shadow of Katie with more determination than before. Much to the Necromancer's surprise, Kristofer managed to throw her off of himself. Cudgels in hand, he charged the mockery of his squad mate, delivering the killing blow.

"Well done," the Necromancer said. "However, that is futile." Raising his arm, he went to grip Kristofer like he had done to Michael. However, nothing happened. "What?!"

Taking the advantage, Kristofer charged at the Necromancer, who barely managed to teleport out of the way. "Come back here, coward!" he demanded angrily.

Completely forgetting that Torchwick was standing right there, Kristofer was hit by a blast from Torchwick's cane. However, he managed to hold on to consciousness, and landed in a crouch before turning back to Torchwick. Charging forward, he forced Torchwick into melee combat. Due to his semblance, Kristofer gained the upper hand, knocking Torchwick's weapon out of his hand before pinning him to the ground.

"This'll be the end of you."

"I wouldn't if I were you," the Necromancer's voice said. "One wrong move and she falls."

Looking up, Kristofer found the Necromancer holding Ila over the edge of the crane by the throat. "No! Please, don't!" Quickly, he backed off from Torchwick, allowing him to get back up.

"You see, Kristofer," the Necromancer said. "There was no right move." With that, he let go.

"Ila!" Kristofer yelled. "No!" Running as fast as he could, he willed his feet to move even faster. Suddenly, he became a blur of speed as he ran and successfully caught Ila. Unfortunately, he didn't know how to stop, and wound up slamming into the side of a warehouse, knocking himself out cold.

"A second semblance…" the Necromancer whispered in shock. "This boy is full of surprises it seems." Louder, he said, "Torchwick, I will leave his extermination to you, as per our agreement." With that, he teleported away.

Torchwick muttered to himself angrily. His thought process was cut off however as a voice shouted, "Hey!"

Looking up, he spotted Ruby and Penny standing on top of a shipping crate. "Oh, there you are red!" he exclaimed. "Isn't it past your bedtime?"

"Ruby?" Penny asked. "Is he your friend too?"

Turning back, Ruby said, "Penny, get back!"

Capitalizing on her distraction, Torchwick fired a shot, sending Ruby flying.

Face set with determination, Penny walked to the edge of the crate.

"Penny!" Ruby exclaimed. "Wait, stop!"

"Don't worry Ruby," Penny reassured her. "I'm combat ready."

As she said this, several blades emerged from her back, floating behind her. Jumping down, she launched three of the blades at the White Fang thugs on the ground, taking out one with each. When she landed, she swept the blades to both sides, effectively taking out each Faunus on either side of her. When several charged her, she sent the blades into a spinning circular deathtrap in front of her, taking two out, then, whirling them around her body, she attacked two others who had come up behind her. Looking back towards the nearest warehouse, she spotted over a dozen of them charging her. Turning, she launched the blades like a Frisbee, knocking all of them down like bowling pins.

Sun, who'd finally woken up was shocked as he saw this. But, he didn't lose a second as he went to make sure Blake was alright.

Meanwhile, three of the airships had begun a strafing run on Penny with their machine guns. Whirling the blades in front of her like a shield, Penny managed to reflect all the bullets. Looking behind her, she launched two blades backwards into a building. As she jumped, she was catapulted backwards until she was right in front of where the blades had impacted. Then, dropping into a crouch, the remaining blades arranged themselves in a circle in front of her, blades pointed away from her body. They then began spinning, quickly accelerating until they created a massive green energy beam that destroyed the attacking airships.

Looking up, she spotted an airship taking off with a crate attached to its belly. Running up to it, (the two blades were still embedded in the wall of the warehouse) she launched six blades into the ship, effectively tethering it to her. Then, walking backwards, she actually began pulling the ship as it tried in vain to escape her grasp. Then, she yanked backwards, sending the airship crashing into a pile of crates.

Torchwick got himself into another airship. As it flew away, he muttered, "These kids just keep getting weirder."

Kristofer, who had regained consciousness, watched as Torchwick's airship flew away. Then, looking down at Ila, who lay unconscious in his arms, he vowed that he would defeat the Necromancer, no matter the cost.


	9. Chapter 8: Best Day Ever

In what seemed, on the outside at least, to be an abandoned warehouse, Torchwick was busy talking to a member of the White Fang about their next heist. As they discussed it, they were interrupted by the Necromancer. "Pardon me, Roman," he said.

Torchwick sighed. "I thought I told you _not_ to interrupt me while I'm scheming?"

Ignoring him, the Necromancer went on. "When are you going to take care of Tukson?"

Torchwick sighed in irritation. "When I get the time. How many times do I have to keep _repeating_ myself?!"

The Necromancer shrugged. "You know, I could do it with you. It _is_ part of our agreement after all."

"Fine, fine, whatever. Go kill the rat."

**_Back at Beacon…_**

It was lunch time, the day before the second semester was going to begin. In preparation, Kristofer decided to go over all his notes after he finished eating. Unfortunately, his mind kept drifting back to that night on the docks. Every time he tried to concentrate, he would see his old teammates' faces alongside the Necromancer's, or the Necromancer dropping Ila from the crane. They hadn't just affected him during the day either. His dreams were plagued with that night repeating itself in an endless loop that just went on and on and…

"Kristofer, you okay mate?"

"Huh?" Kristofer looked up to see Mac and the rest of the team staring at him, eyes full of concern.

"I asked if you were alright."

Blinking, Kristofer said, "Oh."

"It's just that you haven't been yourself lately," Ila spoke up. "Ever since that night you've seemed so…distant."

Kristofer sighed. "I just can't stop thinking about it. The whole thing just keeps repeating itself in my head."

"Well," Rachael said, smiling. "Why don't we do something fun to take your mind off of it?"

Kristofer chuckled. "Like what?" As soon as he said this, an apple hit him on the back of the head. "Ouch!" he exclaimed, turning around to find the culprit.

"It was Yang," Rachael whispered.

"Oh?" Kristofer picked up a pie and chucked it at the table by the window, where team RWBY was sitting. "Two can play at that game!" As the pie left his fingertips, he realized he made a grave error. The pie did not reach its intended destination. Instead, it hit Weiss full in the face, right as she stood up. In an instant, team JNPR, who was situated between the two tables, pointed their fingers at Kristofer, who had buried his face in his palm.

Outside the lunch room, Sun was walking alongside Neptune, a blue haired kid who was the epitome of "cool". The pair were both teammates, as well as very good friends. "Man, that was harsh," Neptune said.

"And then, we were fighting side by side," Sun explained. He was talking a thousand miles a minute, barely even registering Neptune's replies. "And she was super-fast, and I threw a banana at a guy, which sounds gross, but was awesome."

"Nice."

"Right? And the best part is; she's a Faunus." Suddenly, he clamped his hand over his mouth in shock at what he just said. Quickly trying to cover up, he said, "But that's a secret, okay?"

"Got it."

"And not a 'I'm gonna go tell Scarlet the second Sun turns his back' secret. I'm talking 'secret' secret."

"Whoa, chill out man, okay? I've got it. I've got it."

"You'd better."

"Pfft."

Calming down, Sun explained, "I just don't wanna screw this up, ya know? The people here are the coolest! No offense to you guys."

Neptune shrugged. "None taken."

The pair had arrived at the door. Before they went in, Sun pulled Neptune aside. "Okay, they're just in here. I'm really excited for you to meet them. So, be cool, okay? You're gonna be cool, right?"

Crossing his arms in a pose that emphasized his coolness, he replied, "Dude."

"Good point."

With that, they burst through the doors to find themselves in a cafeteria thrown into chaos. Students were streaming out the now open doors, yelling in fear. At the far end was a fort made out of the lunch tables. Somehow, in the chaos, team JNPR had gained control of the fort. Atop its peak was a cackling Nora, the rest of her team assembled lower down. "I'm queen of the castle, I'm queen of the castle," she chanted.

Below the fort, teams RWBY and SAMRI stood, creating a triangle. Grabbing a milk carton, Ruby pointed at Team SAMRI. "Justice will be swift! Justice will be painful!" she exclaimed, crushing the carton. "It will be delicious!" With that, team RWBY charged SAMRI, yelling.

Not wanting to be left out, Nora shouted, "Off with their heads," before jumping down to several tables covered in watermelons. As the other two teams neared each other, Ren launched three watermelons in their direction, Juane threw one, Pyrrha two, and Nora, using a table as a catapult, launched a large volley of them.

"Fall back!" Kristofer shouted, prompting his team to retreat from the incoming projectiles.

At the same time, Ruby yelled, "Yang! Turkeys!" Taking her cue, Yang shoved her fists into the open ends of two turkeys, using them as boxing gloves. As the watermelons approached, she punched each of them out of the air in rapid succession. Jumping in front of her, Blake picked up two breadsticks, assisting Yang take them out as they charged forward. Once the barrage ended, Yang launched the turkeys, both shots landing direct hits on Juane.

As Pyrrha and Blake charged each other, Rachael and Mac teleported into the middle of them for a sneak attack, Rachael holding 2 breadsticks and Mac holding 2 leeks. Rachael deflected Blake's strike, sending her reeling. She then followed up with a series of rapid strikes, teleporting so that her strikes came from random directions. Then, with a final sweep, she sent Blake flying as Pyrrha and Mac locked weapons (Pyrrha holding a single breadstick).

Pushing off of each other, Pyrrha and Mac disengaged, circling each other carefully. Finally, Pyrrha lunged, and Mac deflected. The two danced like a sword master and mistress. Strike, parry, lunge, dodge, feint, repeat. This dance continued for quite some time, when suddenly, Mac jumped back. Activating his semblance, he called, Artie, now!. As he thought this, two plates flew from behind him, taking Pyrrha by surprise. Mac took advantage of her brief moment of confusion, and charged forward, sending Pyrrha flying with a well-placed strike.

While this occurred, no one noticed Ruby surfing down the tables towards the fight, using a food tray as a board. When Artie spotted her, she was already flying through the air, legs extended towards him. Quickly, he raised a plate, catching her. However, she kicked off, knocking him to the ground. Taking advantage of this, Ren and Nora began charging towards the four. Seeing the danger, Rachael grabbed the twins' arms and teleported them out of harm's way.

As Ren and Nora approached Ruby, Weiss ran in front of her, emptying a bottle of ketchup in a stream across the ground. As Ren stepped on it, his feet flew out from under him, sending him sliding into a pile of tables which exploded outwards from the force of the impact. Nora, on the other hand, jumped onto one of the tables as it flew through the air, using it as a springboard to grab and break off a pole that was protruding from the wall. As she landed, in one smooth motion she stuck it into a watermelon and then began to swing it towards Weiss. However, Ruby intercepted the blow and was sent flying.

Flipping backwards, Weiss picked up a swordfish by the tail. Pointing it at Nora, she dashed at her opponent, knocking her back. Jumping back into the fray, Nora began twirling her "hammer" around, forcing Weiss to remain on the defense. Without leaving any opening for retaliation, Nora struck a devastating blow, sending an unconscious Weiss flying into a pillar, causing it to crack. As it began to fall, Ruby activated her semblance, getting Weiss out of harm's way. As she looked at the limp ice queen in her arms, she asked, "Weiss? Don't leave me! Noooooooo!"

In retaliation, Yang grabbed two more turkeys and charged forward. Meanwhile, using her as a distraction, Kristofer decided to jump in, dashing at Ren with a turkey leg in each hand. As he approached, Ren cartwheeled to the side, grabbing two leeks, which he then used to swing at Kristofer. However, Kristofer easily deflected each of Ren's blows, using his semblance to foretell when and where'd they'd hit. As a gap opened up, he delivered a powerful uppercut, sending Ren into the air. Then, he followed it up with a midair downward smash, sending Ren crashing back down to the ground.

After he landed, Kristofer jumped into the air again, as he sensed himself caught between Yang and Nora. After Kristofer leapt out of the way, time seemed to slow as he watched Nora swing upwards with great force at the same time as Yang wound up for an equally powerful punch. However, Nora was just a tad faster, sending Yang up through the roof right before her punch could connect.

While Kristofer was distracted, he failed to notice Pyrrha coming up behind him, breadstick raised to strike. However, he was saved by Ila who had begun chucking cans of soda in rapid succession, each homing in on Pyrrha, forcing her to retreat against the wall. Looking around her, Pyrrha noticed the soda cans laying around her, soda cans made of metal. Punching the ground, she used her semblance to magnetize them, resulting in them levitating off the ground. Then, she sent the cans flying at Ila. Seeing the threat, Artie jumped in Ila's way, using _his_ semblance to redirect them at Blake, the fizzy explosions sending her flying.

It was at this point that Ruby had finally had enough. In one final move, Ruby began to sprint towards the other side of the room, rapidly gathering speed until she became, essentially, a whirlwind. Food, tables, and students alike were picked up in this whirlwind. As she approached, Kristofer activated his semblance of speed, sprinting back at her in hopes of counteracting her move. The two met in the middle of the cafeteria, resulting in an explosion that sent everything flying.

Both leaders landed on their feet, facing each other. As they prepared to go again, the doors slammed open as Professor Goodwitch stormed into the room, followed by Professor Ozpin. With a wave of her wand, Goodwitch set everything in the room back the way it was, repairing tables, cleaning up sodas, even fixing the hole in the ceiling. As she finished, she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and said sternly, "Children, please. Do not play with your food."

The only response to Goodwitch's statement was a quickly stifled belch from Nora. After a moment of silence, Yang came crashing back down through the roof, landing on (and destroying) a table, resulting in a cascade of laughter from the three teams. Meanwhile, Goodwitch was furious. As she prepared to unleash her rage, Ozpin's hand on her shoulder stopped her. "Just let it go," he said.

Turning to face them, she sighed in exasperation. "They're _supposed_ to be the defenders of the world."

"And they will be," Ozpin quickly assured her. "But for now they're still only children. So, why not let them play the part?" As he turned to walk out, he added sadly, "After all, it isn't a role they'll have forever."

**_That night, in a seemingly abandoned hangar…_**

The entire hangar was filled with Dust. By the doors, some Faunus from the White Fang were off-loading even more Dust from an airship. At the far end, Roman Torchwick was engrossing himself with a map of Vale. As he studied it, the Necromancer came over and tapped him on the shoulder. Turning around, Torchwick found Mercury, a silver-haired young man wearing a black and silver outfit with shotguns attached to his boots, and Emerald, a somewhat short, dark-skinned girl of the same age with short green hair and red eyes. She wore a very revealing green top outlined by a white vest for seemingly aesthetic purposes, as well as a white neck wrap, and tight white pants that ended around mid-ankle.

"Oh look, she sent the kids again," he exclaimed. Walking over, forcefully hugging the pair with one arm each, he said, "This is turning out just like the divorce."

Wriggling out from underneath his arm, Emerald shuddered. "Spare us the thought of you procreating."

"Relax, that was a joke," Torchwick explained, walking away, raising a slip of paper. "And this, might just tell me where you two have been all day."

"What?!" Emerald exclaimed checking her pocket.

"I'm a professional sweetheart. Pay attention, and maybe you'll actually learn something." Looking at the note, he asked in a slightly more menacing tone, "Why do you have this address?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Emerald replied.

"Yeah, I would. Now, where have you been all day?"

Stepping in, Mercury said, "Cleaning up _your_ problems. One of them at least."

"I had that under control," Torchwick growled.

"Two packed bags and a ticket out of Vale said otherwise."

"Listen you little punk. If it were up to me, I'd take you and your little street rat friend here, and I would…"

"Do what Roman?" a voice asked. All the assembled turned to look at the speaker. Atop a catwalk stood a fiery eyed woman with black hair, wearing a red and yellow dress. The Necromancer, who was leaning against a wall, chuckled before murmuring, "Better watch out Roman."

As she rode a lift down to meet them, Roman laughed nervously. "I'd uh, not kill them?"

"Cinder!" Emerald exclaimed.

"I thought I made it clear that you were to eliminate the would be runaway," Cinder said.

"I was going to…"

"_He_ was going to escape to Vacuo," Emerald explained. "Mercury and I took it upon ourselves to kill the rat."

"I think he was some kind of cat actually," Mercury added.

"What, like a puma?" Emerald asked.

"Yeah, there you go."

"Quiet," Cinder commanded. "Did I not _specifically_ instruct you to keep your hands clean while in Vale?" As she said this, Roman made a throat-slitting motion with his fingers.

"I just thought…" Emerald began.

"Don't think. Obey."

"Yes, ma'am. It won't happen again."

The Necromancer chuckled. "I could get to like someone like you."

Cinder frowned at him before turning to Torchwick. "And you." Roman laughed nervously. "Why wasn't this job done sooner?"

Torchwick gestured exasperatedly towards all the boxes of Dust that filled the warehouse. "_Sorry_ if I've been too busy stealing every single speck of Dust in the kingdom!"

"You're an inspiration to every punk with a gun and a ski mask," Mercury commented sarcastically.

"Look around kid," Roman sneered. "I've got this town running scared. Police camping out at every corner, Dust prices through the roof, _and,"_ he spun around, indicating the dust again. "We're sitting in an old, abandoned warehouse with more Dust crystals, vials, and rounds than we know what to do with." Spinning back around, he continued. "Speaking of which. _If_ you guys wouldn't mind filling me in on your grand master plan, it _might_ actually make my next string of robberies go a little smoother." As he spoke that final sentence, he slowly transitioned from a civil tone to outright irritation, accentuating the final word with a clenched fist.

"Oh Roman," Cinder said in a condescending tone as she walked towards him. "Have a little faith. You'll know what you need when you need to know." As she said this, she gently held his chin, her eyes glowing threateningly at those last few words.

Roman grunted, jerking his head away.

"Besides," Cinder continued. "We're done with Dust."

Surprised, Roman asked, "Ooookay…so, what now?"

"We're moving. Have the White Fang clear out this building. I'll send you details and coordinates tonight."

"Coordinates?"

"We're proceeding to Phase Two."

As Cinder walked away, the kids in tow, Torchwick pulled out a cigar to release a little stress. As he went for his lighter, he discovered that it was nowhere to be found. Looking up, he found Emerald holding it, sticking her tongue out at him.

"You had it coming," the Necromancer said.

"Shut up."


	10. Chapter 9: Welcome to Beacon

**I apologize for taking so long to write this chapter. I've been very busy with school, as well as an actual book that I've started to write (and intend to publish). Unfortunately, that book will take preference over any of my other stories. But, I'm not going to give up on this story, so relax. It will just take a little while longer for chapters to come out.**

* * *

><p>Kristofer stared out the library window as he watched warship after warship arrive at the school. The students from the other nations were arriving for the Vytal Festival. While Artie, Ila and Rachael went out to see them, Kristofer and Mac decided they'd sit in the library and study. "What's with all of the military hardware?" Kristofer asked.<p>

"General Ironwood," Mac explained. "He's a Headmaster, as well as the General of the military in Atlas. What's odd is the fact that he decided to show up for the Vytal Festival himself."

"But he's a headmaster," Kristofer said in confusion. "Isn't it natural for him to come with his students?"

Mac shook his head. "It goes against custom, as well as showing mistrust in his students' abilities to defend themselves. It's especially unusual that he brought a small battalion with him."

"Small?!" Kristofer exclaimed.

"Yeah, you should see the size of the _entire_ Atlas fleet. It's quite impressive."

"That 'small' battalion is about a quarter the size of the entire U.S. military," Kristofer murmured in awe.

During this entire conversation, Team RWBY (who had decided to stay inside as well) was loudly playing a Risk-like game at the table next to them. Momentarily distracted by the game, he watched as Yang tricked Weiss into destroying her entire army. _To think _she_ wanted to be the team leader_, Kristofer thought, smiling.

As Kristofer watched, Juane (whose entire team was inside studying) walked over to the table, asking if he could play.

"I'm sorry Juane," Ruby apologized. "We've already got four people."

"Besides," Weiss chimed in. "This game requires a certain level of tactical cunning that I seriously doubt you possess."

Turning to Weiss, Yang said, "Uh, you attacked your own naval fleet two turns ago." Weiss just groaned in reply.

Taking it as a challenge, Juane said, "Bring it on 'ice queen'. I'll have you know that I've been told I'm a natural-born leader."

"By who?" Weiss asked mockingly. "Your mother?"

"And Pyrrha," Juane added. Bending over Weiss, he begged, "Come on, let me play your hand for a turn."

Weiss held her cards away from him, protesting, "I'm not trusting you with the good citizens of Vacuo!"

"Why not?" Juane asked. "You've trusted me with way more important stuff before. I mean, you did tell us that Blake is secretly a…"

Kristofer quickly stood up, but Pyrrha was faster, clamping her hand over Juane's mouth. "…fun loving person whom we all admire and respect," she finished for him.

Realizing his blunder, Juane chuckled nervously. "Right…that…" Bowing, he said, "Ladies, enjoy your battle."

Kristofer sat down with a sigh of relief. Looks like Juane would get to live for at least one more day.

As Juane left the table, Sun and Neptune walked up. "What's up losers?" Sun greeted in his typical, lighthearted fashion.

"Hey Sun," Ruby responded.

"Ruby, Blake, Yang, 'Ice Queen'…"

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?!" Weiss interrupted.

Completely ignoring her, Sun continued, "I never got a chance to fully introduce you to my old friend."

Looking at the game that was being played, Neptune asked, "Uh, aren't libraries supposed to be for reading?"

"Thank you!" Ren and Mac shouted in unison, followed by, "Pancakes!" from Nora, who'd just woken up.

Turning to Neptune, Sun said, "Shut up. Don't be a nerd."

"Uh uh uh uh," Neptune replied, holding up a correcting finger. "Intellectual, okay? Thank you." Turning back to the girls, he introduced himself. "I'm Neptune."

"So, Neptune," Weiss asked. "Where are you from?"

"Haven," he said, walking over to her. "And, I don't believe I've caught your name, snow angel."

"Umm, I'm Weiss."

"Are you kidding me?!" Juane muttered.

"Pleasure to meet you," Neptune said.

Meanwhile, Sun was bending in towards Blake. "I never took you as the board game playing type," he said.

"Right," Blake replied, standing up. "Well, I think I'm done actually. I'll see you guys later." With that, she left the library.

Sun held up his hands in defeat, while Nora made the same gesture, saying, "Women."

"What was that about?" Mac asked.

"I may have an idea," Kristofer replied. "But, I'm not entirely sure." Looking at his watch, he said, "I think I'm going to head back to the dorm. You coming?"

"Nah. I'm just about to start reading a book I've been looking forward to getting to for a while now."

Kristofer laughed. "Alright, you enjoy yourself."

Back in their dorm room, Kristofer was surprised to find Ila laying there on her bed. "Ila?"

Ila jumped, then sighed in relief when she saw who it was. "Oh, Kristofer, it's just you."

Realizing something was up, Kristofer walked over and sat down next to her. "Is something the matter?"

Ila began twiddling her thumbs. "I-it's nothing."

Kristofer smiled. "It's alright, you can tell me."

"I-I was just thinking back about the other night."

"What about it?"

"Nothing in particular. I just… I feel like we should do something, but I know that we can't."

"Why not?"

Ila looked at him in surprise. "W-we're just students! We're nowhere close to being Huntsmen or Huntresses yet!"

Kristofer shrugged. "It doesn't mean we can't do our own investigation. Besides, if we don't get caught, we won't get in trouble, right?"

_Kristofer sat at a table in the same interrogation room he'd found himself in when he first came to Remnant. As he sat there, Professor Ozpin walked in, taking a seat across from him. "So," the professor said, clearly irritated about something. "I don't suppose you'll be cooperative either."_

_Legitimately confused, Kristofer asked, "Sir?"_

_Ozpin sighed. "It seems that none of your friends seem willing to share what really happened tonight. I'm a Huntsman, I'm not an idiot. I know when people are hiding something as badly as your friends, yet they still insist on feigning ignorance. Forgive me if I seem tightly wound. It's been a long night."_

_"I understand what you mean," Kristofer said. "Although still more or less out of the loop as to how Remnant works, I'll try to answer your questions as well, and as truthfully as I can."_

_"I was hoping you'd say something like that," Ozpin said, taking a seat. "Since I wasn't having any luck with the others, I was hoping that I might get a different response due to your…unique upbringing."_

_"Understood. So, what did you want to know?"_

_"Well, first of all, I want to know how you knew the White Fang would be at the shipyards last night."_

_"We were luc…"_

_"No!" Ozpin shouted, much to Kristofer's surprise. "I want the real reason!"_

_Kristofer held up his hands in defense. "Just hear me out for a minute. We really _were_ lucky. We overheard from some police officers that the White Fang was suspected of being the ones behind the Dust robberies. Then, we got an anonymous tip that a massive delivery of Dust was coming in the following night. It just so happened that the White Fang actually showed up."_

_"I see, and I apologize for my sudden outburst," Ozpin said, folding his hands together. "While this is the first answer I've gotten all night, it unfortunately raises a few questions as well. For example, why were you looking for the White Fang in the first place? I understand that you want to be a Huntsman, but you haven't even completed a year of training. Now, I understand that _you_ have had special training of an extent that I do not yet know. But, that doesn't mean you have special permissions, although I'm sure you know this. So, why did you think it was a good idea to go after them all of a sudden?"_

_Kristofer sighed. "To get answers."_

_"Answers?"_

_Kristofer nodded. "While walking through an alley, Ila and I were attacked by a member of the White Fang. Of course, that leads one to ask why we, specifically, were attacked. We should've been the least likely targets, since we were both Faunus. So, we wanted to find out why."_

_"Very well," Ozpin said, standing up. "I'm sure there are some things that you still aren't telling me, but some theories that I have fill those holes quite nicely."_

_"Professor?" Kristofer asked after a moment._

_"Yes?"_

_"You said some questions were raised. One can only assume that means more than one. What were the others?"_

_Ozpin smiled. "You are a bright one, aren't you? Those questions will have to wait until you obtain the answers."_

_"Sir?"_

_Ozpin turned to walk out of the room. Before he left, he said, "Make sure you do your research. And, remember, if I don't know someone's involved in something, I can't accuse that someone. Goodnight, Mr. Schade."_

While the two talked, Artie, closely followed by Rachael and Mac, entered the room. Upon spotting Ila and Kristofer, he immediately stopped. "Whoops. Sorry mate, didn't realize you and your Sheila were in here. We'll go somewhere else."

"What?!" both Ila and Kristofer exclaimed at the same time. After they said this, they looked at each other realizing how close they were.

Rachael giggled. "Look, they're even holding hands."

Looking down, Ila and Kristofer were surprised to find that they actually were. In an instant, they were at opposite ends of the bed, heads down, faces bright red in embarrassment.

"I-it's not like that," Ila murmured.

"Yeah," Kristofer agreed, beckoning for the others to come in. "We were actually discussing something important."

"What might that be?" Mac asked, following the others inside.

"Well," Kristofer began. "We were discussing what we should do about Torchwick, the Necromancer, and the White Fang."

Mac raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that we could do anything? And, even if we could, what would the professors think?"

Kristofer smiled. "I do believe Professor Ozpin intends for us to do something." He shrugged. "Call it a hunch. Regardless, Ila and I have already decided that we should go through with it. What do you guys think?"

Rachael grinned. "You know I'm always ready to kick some butt."

Artie and Mac looked at each other. Artie smiled, while Mac sighed. "We're in."


	11. Chapter 10: Painting the Town

"Where is she?" Kristofer muttered impatiently. He and the rest of his team decided to meet inside their dorm to discuss the plan for finding out information on Torchwick. In hopes of avoiding detection, everyone had donned an alternate outfit. The twins had swapped out of their vest and khaki combos for sleeveless tops and shorts (in their respective colors of course). They also wore leather shoulder pads and torso armor with their respective logos emblazoned on them. Rachael took on a more conservative approach than usual, wearing a fitted midnight blue dress with divided skirts for freedom of movement. Across her waist was a decorative belt lined with fake shotgun shells. Kristofer had changed into a black outfit similar to what he wore in the U.S. military, complete with hat and dog tags. They were currently waiting on Ila, who was still in the process of changing her outfit.

"Don't worry," Rachael said, fruitlessly trying to smooth out the bottom of her skirt. "When I left, she was almost done."

As she said this, the door to the dorm opened up, admitting Ila, whom everyone gaped at. Ila had changed into a light blue cat suit that left little to the imagination. As she noticed the stares, she backed up out of the room slightly, clutching a hand to her chest. "W-what is it? Why are you all staring at me like that?"

Mac cleared his throat. "I guess it's just that we never expected you to have an outfit like that."

"I-I can go change if you'd prefer…"

"Don't worry about that Ila," Rachael said with a wink. "These boys were just surprised at how good looking you are underneath that dress."

"R-Rachael!" Ila exclaimed, turning red at the comment, causing Rachael to burst out into laughter.

"Come on girls, let's be a little more serious," Kristofer said. "We can't afford to waste any time."

"Yes sir!" Rachael shouted with a mock salute, causing Kristofer to sigh and shake his head.

"Anyways," he continued. "Does everyone know what they need to do?"

Mac went first, saying, "Artie and I will slip into one of the White Fang's initiation meetings to see if they'll give us the drum. Hopefully, we can find out what their movements are, as well as the possible existence and location of some kind of secret base."

"Alright, good," Kristofer said. "Rachael, Ila, and I will then head over to an informant that Rachael claims she knows. Maybe he'll have something to report, but then again, maybe not. Well, now that everyone's ready, what are we waiting for?" With that, the team quickly walked out of their room, straight into Team RWBY, as well as Sun and Neptune."

The two groups sat there, staring at each other awkwardly for a few minutes. The girls had also changed their outfits, for some reason or another. Artie was the first one to break the ice. "So, where are ya'll off to, dressed like that?"

"We could ask you the same," Sun shot back.

Getting between the two, Kristofer said, "Okay, guys. Let's try _not _to fight." Turning to the other team, he explained, "We're just going to do some research on a certain group."

Getting the hint, Ruby said, "So are we. I think we might be researching the same group, actually."

"Well, why don't we help each other out then?" Kristofer suggested. "We could compare notes and brainstorm research strategies."

"Great idea," Ruby exclaimed, moving her team back into the room they came from, and ushering Team SAMRI to follow suit.

"So," Mac said, once everyone was inside. "You guys had the same idea then?"

Ruby shrugged. "Apparently."

"Well, why don't we team up?" Kristofer suggested again. The others fully agreed. It turned out that Yang had the same contact as Rachael, so they, along with Kristofer, Ila, and Neptune, teamed up. Blake and Sun were going to the same White Fang meeting as the twins, so the twins decided to go to a different one on the other side of the town. Meanwhile, Ruby and Weiss were headed to the CCT to make a call about the Schnee company records.

"So," Yang asked Rachael. "How do you know Junior?"

Rachael shrugged. "I just needed some information. Isn't that the reason why anyone would talk to him?"

"Just who is this Junior guy anyways?" Kristofer asked. "He sounds sort of…shady."

"He _is_ a small time criminal," Yang explained. "He runs a bar where he hires out his mercenaries to whoever needs additional hands for some kind of criminal act."

"But," Rachael stepped in. "Since he deals with so different levels of criminals, he is the perfect choice as an informant."

"How do you know you can trust him?" Kristofer asked.

"Well," Yang said with a grin. "You just have to be a little…persuasive."

Kristofer laughed. "I see."

Yang and Rachael led the way to a very shady section of town. All of the shops were closed, and dozens of pipes ran between the buildings overhead. The only source of light was a single bar. As the group walked over to it, two henchman (who looked almost exactly like the ones Kristofer fought the night that he arrived on Remnant) looked in their direction. When the two identified both Yang and Rachael, they both began panicking, rushing inside and closing the door.

As they neared the entrance, Kristofer suddenly stopped in his tracks, looking down a nearby alley. When the girls realized they were no longer being followed, they turned around to see what was wrong. "Hey, Kristofer," Rachael said. "Something wrong?"

When Kristofer didn't respond, Ila sighed. "Not again."

"Again?" Yang asked.

Ila nodded. "The last time he did this, we were attacked by a shadow from his past, as well as a member of the White Fang." Ila pulled out her weapon as Kristofer started to head for the alley, still not saying a word. "You two go inside. I'll make sure he doesn't get into any trouble."

Yang shrugged. "C'mon Rachael."

Junior sighed as he polished a glass. It had been very slow the past few weeks, with no one wanting to hire his mercs. Not that he blamed them. His attention was drawn off the glass as the watchmen he stationed outside ran into the bar yelling, "Hurry! Close the door! They're coming!"

Surprised, and slightly ticked off, Junior briskly walked over to them. "What are you two idiots doing?!" he demanded.

Before they could answer, an explosion blew the door open. When the smoke cleared, both Yang and Rachael stood in the entryway. "Guess who's back?"

As soon as everyone realized who they were, all of the mercenaries surrounded them, raising their guns. Meanwhile, the record that had been playing started skipping, as the DJ had dived to hide behind his stand. Sheepishly, he lifted the needle before slowly sliding down again.

It was at this moment that Neptune stepped in. "Could you define the word friend?"

Junior pushed past his men, saying, "Stop, stop! Nobody shoot!" Turning to address the girls, he gulped before nervously saying, "Blondie…and Red…_both_ of you are here… Why?"

Grabbing him by the collar, they dragged him over to the bar, the men giving them a wide berth as they went. "You still owe me a drink," Yang said.

Neptune just stared after them, dumbfounded.

Artie and Mac peered around the corner of a building. The building had white claw marks etched into it. As they looked, they found a White Fang member handing out masks to some Faunus as they entered a warehouse.

"This appears to be the place," Mac whispered.

"It's Atlas to a brick that this is," Artie whispered back.

"Are you sure you want to still go through with this?" Mac asked.

Before Artie could answer, a voice from behind them said, "Are you two here for the initiation?"

Quickly whipping around, Artie said, "Y-yeah. Were're just…nervous about going in. We want equality, but…"

The Faunus who addressed them wore a dark coat and pants as well as a White Fang mask. Horns grew from the midst of his deep crimson hair. "You're just worried about getting killed?" he asked. "Don't worry about that. The recruits from this ceremony won't be going anywhere too dangerous. You should be fine."

Artie released a feigned sigh of relief. Grabbing Mac's shoulder, he guided him over to the meeting. "C'mon bro. We don't want to miss anything."

The pair quickly donned the masks they were handed. "I don't get it," Mac said aloud. "We're supposed to be fighting for what we believe is right, so why are we disguising ourselves?"

"They're not disguises," the Faunus from before said. Apparently, he'd followed them in. "They're a symbol. If humans want to treat us like monsters, then monsters are what we'll be."

The twins shared an uneasy glance at this. Before they could say anything, however, they emerged from the hallway, entering the main room of the warehouse. At the far end was a stage. Congregated before it were somewhere around fifty or more Faunus. The ones on the left wore the White Fang uniform, the ones on the right wore a random assortment of clothing.

As the two stared in surprise, the man behind them tapped them on their shoulders. "This is where I leave you two," he said before walking towards the stage.

Well, Mac thought to his brother. It looks like we're in.

Kristofer cautiously walked through the dark alley. He had to be careful of any traps that might impede his progress towards his goal. Wait, where was he going again? Why was he here? Something to do with an informant? No! His goal was in reach, he couldn't afford to lose concentration now.

As he thought this, a figure dropped from above. Sensing it, Kristofer jumped backwards, whipping out his weapons. Then he identified the figure as being his best friend. Dropping his weapons, he asked, "Justin?"

The shadowy figure of Justin snarled back, baring its teeth. It then pounced towards Kristofer. However, it fell short as a glowing yellow arrow landed right between its eyes.

Furious, Kristofer whipped around to face Ila, the shooter. "What in the world did you do that for?!" he demanded.

Ila simply pointed. "Look."

Looking back, Kristofer watched as the imitation slowly turned to a cloud of shadow, before disappearing completely. Kristofer gasped as he was suddenly brought back to reality. Picking up his weapons, he turned to Ila, "I'm…sorry that I snapped at you. I-I don't know what came over me."

Ila walked up to him, softly placing her hand on his arm. "It's alright. It seems like these creatures have some sort of effect on you. It's not your fault."

Kristofer sighed deeply. "I guess you're…" he started to say, before grabbing Ila and jumping forward, getting the two of them out of the way as another shadow clone landed. As the pair got up, several more copies landed around them, leaving them surrounded.

"Well," Kristofer said, raising his weapons. "I'm not feeling that 'effect' now."

Meanwhile, Yang and Rachael were having equally dissatisfying results with Junior.

"I don't know," Junior exasperatedly repeated for about the third time now.

"How could you not know?!" Rachael demanded.

"I haven't talked to him," Junior replied. "I haven't even seen him since the night he first came in here. He paid up front, I lent him my men, and none of them ever came back."

Slamming his fist down on the table, Neptune asked, "So, where did they go?"

Staring in slight disgust at Neptune, Junior said, "What kind of stupid question is that?! 'They never came back.'" Turning to the girls, he asked, "Who is this guy?"

Shoving Neptune out of the way, Yang said, "Don't worry about him. Worry about me if I don't find out what I want!"

"I already told you everything," Junior said, irritation now lacing his voice. "Torchwick hired my boys, and I guess he wasn't happy with them." He turned to his employees, and raised his voice so they could hear, "Which is something I can relate to!"

The henchmen just looked at him and shrugged.

Rachael sighed. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"Did we get everything we need?" Neptune asked.

"Well," Yang said. "We've gotten everything that we can. Hopefully the rest of the team's having better luck."

Arty and Mac could do nothing but wait until the initiation ceremony started. After about five minutes or so, all that had gathered there grew silent as the Faunus who had confronted the twins walked up onto the stage.

"I'd like to welcome all of you," he said, sounding very bored. "For those of you who don't know, my name is Adam, and that's all you need to know about me. To all of you new recruits, you may have heard something about a big operation going on. Well, I'm sorry to say it, but you're at the wrong meeting." He paused as there were some murmurs of disappointment. "This will just be a standard initiation. Not much to it. Honestly," he turned to the uniformed members. "I'm surprised so many of you showed up for this." He shrugged. "But, whatever. All of you new recruits, in a minute, I'm going to ask each of you to step forward so we can test your individual skills. That way, we can determine what level of training to start you at. Once that's done, you're all going to be shipped to the mountains to the north of the city."

"Excuse me?" a bat-eared boy from the front row asked.

Adam sighed. "Yes?"

"What exactly is that human behind you doing here?"

Adam chuckled. "Well, you're quite observant, aren't you?" He turned around, muttering, "I thought you were sure that no one would spot you."

The Necromancer stepped out from the shadows, revealing himself to everyone. "It appears that I underestimated your race," he said.

"Before I explain who he is," Adam said. "I have to inform you of a secret that the White Fang has been keeping. Recently, we have entered an alliance with criminal mastermind Roman Torchwick and his employer. This person," he indicated the Necromancer. "Works directly for Roman. He goes by the Necromancer."

"Mac, that's…!" Artie whispered.

"Shhhh!"

Adam continued, "But you should never have to worry about him. I guarantee that, if you do exactly what you are supposed to, you won't have to so much as talk to him. And, believe me, you don't want to." Turning to the Necromancer, he added, "No offense."

The Necromancer raised his hand, "None taken. I wouldn't want to talk to me either."

"Now," Adam said, turning back to the assembled. "Any questions before we continue?" He waited a moment. "No? Good. Now we can begin the fun part. You," he pointed at a mouse-eared girl in the front of crowd. "Come up here."

Nervously, the girl stepped up to the stage. Once she got up there, Adam asked, "Do you have your own weapon?" She shook her head. Adam threw her a sword, which she caught clumsily. Adam sighed, walking over to take the sword back. "Looks like you'll be starting with basic combat training."

Artie whispered to Mac, "I think it's time for us to shoot through."

"Too right," Mac replied. "But how?"

Before Artie had a chance to answer, both of the twins' Scrolls began to go off, attracting the attention of everyone in the room. Before they could turn their Scrolls off, one of the uniformed White Fang members grabbed both of the Scrolls out of the brothers' hands. Looking at the screens, he demanded, "Who is Blake Belladonna? And what is this about a 'Team RWBY'?"

Before he could continue, Adam sprinted over. "What did you just say?" he demanded.

Startled, the Faunus said, "I asked them who 'Team RWBY' is. Honestly, I think it's a team of Huntsmen or Huntresses."

"No," Adam said. "Before that."

"Oh. I was asking them about 'Blake Belladonna', the person who's calling them."

Adam snatched Scrolls out of the Faunus's hands. Confirming what he had just been told, he scowled. "Blake," he murmured, crushing the Scrolls in his hands. Angrily, he declared, "They're Huntsmen spies. Take them out."

"Well," Artie said, whipping out his glaives. "I think we came a gutser."

"Yeah, that kinda stands out like a shag on a rock." Mac responded, extending his energy blades.

As the twins slowly backed up, something heavy hit the backs of both of their heads, knocking them out cold.

Kristofer and Ila stood in the alley, weapons drawn, both of them panting heavily. All around them lay about a dozen defeated shadow clones.

"I think that's it," Kristofer said, sheathing his weapons.

Coincidentally, as he did so, both his and Ila's Scrolls began going off. When they answered, Blake's voice said, "Everyone! If you can hear me, we need backu…"

She was cut off by Sun's cry of, "Help! Big scary robot, and it's big, really big. And that Torchwick guy is in it! Like he's inside of it! He's controlling it or something."

As they listened to the call, Ila and Kristofer began sprinting back towards the entrance of the alleyway. However, Kristofer nearly tripped over one of the remaining shadow clones that was still clinging on to its false life. As, he went to move around it, the clone laughed, a very eerie, bonechilling laugh. "Well Kristofer," it said, in a voice that sounded like fingernails scraping across a chalkboard. "I do believe we have an instance of déjà vu here. You _really _need to start taking better care of your teams." Before Kristofer could say anything back to it, it vanished in a puff of black smoke.

Shrugging off the odd encounter, Ila and Kristofer continued heading back to rendezvous with the other three. As they arrived, they heard Yang ask Blake; "Where are you guys?"

She was answered as Blake and Sun ran past, closely pursued by a massive, very heavily armed robot.

"Hurry!" Sun shouted, this time not into his Scroll.

"I think that was them," Neptune said.

"Yeah, I think we got that," Yang said with irritation. She let out cry of frustration. "We could chase them down, if only I had Bumblebee, my motorcycle."

"I know a way we can get there," Rachael said.

"No!" Ila exclaimed. "Rach, you can't!"

Ignoring Ila's cries, Rachael asked, "Ruby, where do you intend to fight this thing?"

"The abandoned section of road underneath the freeway," Ruby replied.

"Alright," Rachael said. "Just hold on, we'll be there in just a few seconds." Then, without waiting for a response from anyone, she gathered Neptune, Kristofer, Yang, and Ila together, making sure she had physical contact with each one of them. Then, her entire body began to glow.

Ila could be heard screaming, "Nooooooo!" for an instant before all five of them disappeared in a flash.


	12. Chapter 11: Extracurricular

With a flash of light, Rachael, Yang, Neptune, Kristofer, and Ila rematerialized underneath the highway. As they rematerialized, a giant robot, absolutely armed to the teeth, soared off the side of a nearby highway, crashing to the ground heavily, followed by Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Sun.

"We should probably go to help them," Neptune said.

"Ya think?" Yang chided, as the pair ran to join the fight.

Meanwhile, Kristofer was stopped from running off as well as he heard Rachael groan behind him. Turning around, he watched her fall to the ground, unconscious.

"Rachael!" Ila exclaimed, rushing to her side.

Kristofer joined her, asking, "What happened?"

"It's the downside of her semblance," Ila explained, tears in her eyes. "Every time she uses it, it drains a little bit of her energy. The longer the distance, the greater the energy required. S-she's never teleported further than five hundred feet before. The last time she tried, she didn't wake for days. T-this distance…" Ila broke off with a sob, unable to continue.

Kristofer leaned down to listen for her breath. Sitting up, he said with relief, "She's alive…just barely. We need to get her back to the school. Call the twins and let them know."

Ila nodded, wiping her eyes before pulling out her scroll.

Gingerly, Kristofer lifted Rachael in his arms and quickly carried her back in the direction of Beacon, with Ila in pursuit.

Meanwhile, Sun and Neptune had both charged the robot, and promptly got knocked out of the fight with a single punch, but they did manage to buy enough time for team RWBY to regroup.

"Freezer burn," Ruby commanded. Weiss created a large patch of ice on the ground as Yang jumped into the air. Once Weiss jumped out of the way, Yang came down and blasted the icy patch, causing it to instantly evaporate, coating the area in a dense fog.

However, the fog had no effect on the machine's sensors. Fortunately, Roman's reflexes weren't quite good enough, as he consistently missed. Then, out of nowhere, Ruby came flying at the mech. However, her strike didn't have any effect. As Ruby landed back among her teammates, she said, "Checkmate."

Taking their cue, Blake and Weiss dashed at the mech, slowly forcing it backwards with their rapid strikes. Suddenly, Weiss spotted an opening. Jumping up, she jabbed her rapier into what turned out to be the machine's primary sensor, disabling it as well as all of the others, leaving the machine semi-blind. However, as Weiss fell back, Roman had achieved the upper hand over Blake. Right as he was about to crush her, Weiss activated her semblance, creating a propulsion rune which launched Blake out of harm's way. But that wasn't the end of it. Several missile batteries popped up from the robot's back, simultaneously releasing a cluster of heat seeking missiles directed at the pair. The girls barely had time to move out of the way. Taking advantage of this, Roman fired the machine's main guns at Weiss while she was in mid-backflip, sending her flying before firing another volley of missiles at Blake. Thinking quickly, Weiss activated an augmentation rune underneath Blake's feet, granting her the speed, power, and reflexes to effectively disable the missiles with her blades.

Running at the mech herself, Ruby shouted, "Ladybug!" Once she had charged past, she and Blake began launching themselves back and forth past the robot, slashing at it with each pass. Finally, when Roman was entirely disoriented, they leapt in to the air and simultaneously brought their weapons down on the robot's right arm, completely removing it from the body.

Then, while Roman was distracted, Yang jumped onto the robot's back and began pummeling the top of it. However, Roman had other ideas. Activating the robot's jet thrusters, he propelled it backwards, smashing Yang against a highway support. Then, as she fell, the robot quickly spun around and delivered a devastating punch which sent her completely through the steel support.

"Yang!" Blake called out worriedly.

"Don't worry," Ruby assured her. "With each hit, she gets stronger, and she uses that energy to fight back. That's what makes her special."

By now, Yang was once again on her feet. Grinning, Roman piloted the mech over to her, and delivered another punch. Surprisingly, Yang managed to catch the punch, completely stopping it with her bare hands. Looking up, her eyes now crimson, she delivered a punch straight into the robot's fist. A shockwave travelled up the entire robot's arm, causing the limb to blast apart. Enraged, Roman had the robot kick Yang, sending her flying.

As Yang flew past, Ruby shouted, "Bumblebee!" Quickly, Blake threw her pistol whip at Yang, who caught it and used her momentum to swing herself back at the robot, attempting to deliver a massive kick to it. However, the mech was too fast and easily evaded her.

"We have to slow it down," Ruby said.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Weiss demanded.

"Ice flower," Ruby commanded, burying her scythe into the ground using the blade as a monopod for her sniper rifle. Weiss followed up by placing an ice rune in front of the barrel. Ruby then fired several shots at the mech. Each shot that impacted coated the robot in large chunks of ice, eventually freezing it in place.

Taking advantage of this opening, Yang repeated her last attack, this time delivering a punch so powerful, the entire robot shattered. Somehow though, Roman survived the robot's destruction. "I just got this thing cleaned," he said, brushing dirt off of his suit. He looked up just in time to see Yang fire off a fireball in his direction. Luckily for him, a short woman with pink and brown hair as well as eyes of the same color, landed in front of him, deflecting the fireball with an umbrella of all things.

"Ladies," Roman said with a tone of farewell. Then, as an afterthought, he said, "Ice Queen."

"Hey!"

"Always a pleasure." He then turned to the woman with the umbrella. "Neo, if you would?"

In response, Neo bowed grandiosely to the girls. Yang, intending to get the pair before they escaped, dashed at them with her fist readied. However, her punch didn't land. As it approached them, the place where they seemed to be shattered like glass, and they had both disappeared. Looking around, Yang eventually spotted them flying away in an airship. "So I guess he got a new henchman," she said.

"Yeah," Weiss agreed. "I guess she really made our plans… fall apart?"

Ruby snickered, while Yang said, "No, just… no."

"What?" Weiss protested. "But you do it."

"There's a time and a place for jokes," Yang explained.

"Was this not it?" Weiss asked.

"No," Yang said. "It just wasn't very good."

"Well at least I'm trying!"

Suddenly, Ruby stopped in her tracks. "Wait, where's Team SAMRI?"

Yang looked around, eyes wide. "They should be here. Rachael teleported us over."

Weiss harrumphed. "Some friends they are, running off in the middle of a fight."

"I'm sure there was more to it than that," Yang said.

"Yeah, sure, don't worry about us," Sun groaned as he and Neptune made their way back to Team RWBY. "We're just fine."

"Still can't reach them?" Kristofer asked, as he and Ila walked through Beacon's gates.

"N-no," Ila said. "It's still saying they're unavailable." After a moment, she added, "I hope they're alright."

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Kristofer assured her with a smile. "They can take care of themselves." _Then why do I feel like something's wrong,_ Kristofer thought to himself. His mind flashed back to his encounter with the shadow creature.

_"I do believe we have an instance of déjà vu here. You really need to start taking better care of your teams."_

"Kristofer?" Ila asked. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" he said, snapping out of his trance, looking down at Ila. "Oh, y-yeah. I'm fine."

Ila looked doubtful, but didn't press the issue.

_Artie, Mac,_ Kristofer wondered. _I hope you are both okay_.

Mac groaned as he sat up. After his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed that he was chained up in a small, stone cell. He also noticed that his bracers were missing. Across from him, he could see his brother chained to the opposite wall, his bracers also gone. "Artie," he tried to say, but all that came out was a hoarse croak. Instinctively, he tried to reach for his brother's consciousness, using his semblance. Immediately, his mind started reeling from an excruciating pain.

A laugh sounded from outside their cell. "Nice try, beast," the Necromancer's voice said. "You and your brother have been drugged so you can't use your little 'semblances' to escape or call for help. So, try all you want, you'll just bring yourself more pain." He then began to cackle maniacally as Mac writhed on the floor in agony.

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><p><strong>This story is going to come to a close pretty soon. Don't worry, there's more than one chapter left (I think). But, chronologically, it should take place beforeduring Volume 2's finale. Again, I apologize for taking so long to write this. As I stated, I'm in the process of writing my own original novel. But that's not the only reason I haven't worked on this. The other was Monty's passing. It would have been insensitive, in my opinion, to have released something based on one of his greatest creations so soon after his death. Farewell Monty. You will be missed greatly by those who knew you personally, as well as those of us who didn't.**


	13. Chapter 12: The Beginning of the End

Kristofer rubbed his eyes groggily as he woke the following morning. He found himself inside the hospital wing of Beacon Academy. To his right, Rachael lay on a bed, sleeping peacefully. In a chair on the other side of the bed was Ila, who was also asleep. Kristofer couldn't help but smile as Ila's fox ears twitched in her sleep.

"It seems like you had a rather eventful evening," Professor Ozpin said from the room's doorway.

Jumping to his feet, Kristofer quickly said, "P-professor! I can expl…" He was cut off as Ozpin held up his hand.

"You don't have to explain anything," he said. His eyes turning apologetic, he went on, "I fear that this may have been my fault. _I_ was the one who suggested that you go through with this. I am so sorry." He looked over at Rachael and Ila. "Are they going to be alright?"

Kristofer nodded.

Professor Ozpin sighed. "Well, that's a relief. However," he turned back to Kristofer. "I fear for the rest of your team."

"Why do you say that?"

"The Noctis brothers have yet to return."

Kristofer turned away. "That doesn't necessarily mean they're in trouble," he murmured.

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"They went to infiltrate a White Fang meeting," Kristofer explained. "It's possible that they were successfully inducted into the group. As soon as they get the information they need, they'll escape back here."

"Hmmm," Ozpin contemplated. "You're presuming that they will be offered the opportunity to escape. Large criminal organizations such as the White Fang do not want any information that could harm them to get out, and will do everything within their power to keep it contained."

"Mac would let us know if something went wrong," Kristofer said.

"Well," Ozpin crossed his arms with a smile. "It certainly seems like you had this planned out, then."

"Yes. But…"

"Yes?"

Kristofer looked back at the girls. "I know that they should be fine since Mac hasn't contacted us. But, I still can't shake the feeling that something did, in fact, go wrong."

Ozpin put his hand on Kristofer's shoulder. "Sometimes, it's better to follow one's own intuition, rather than one's common sense."

"So, what do you suggest I do?"

"For the time being, wait it out. There's nothing else that really can be done at this point."

Both of their attentions were drawn to the bed as Rachael groaned and began to stir. "I think I'll take my leave now," Ozpin said, bowing out of the room.

Kristofer hurried over to Rachael's side. Thinking quickly, he reached across her and gently woke Ila. Ila was a little groggy at first, but once she realized Rachael was waking up, she was alert in an instant.

Slowly, Rachael opened her eyes to find Kristofer and Ila standing over her. "Hey guys," she said. "Did we win?"

Kristofer smiled. "Yes, we won. All thanks to you."

Rachael laughed. "Please, I hardly contributed." She turned to Ila. "Ila, I'm sorry for worrying you like that."

Ila shook her head. "You only did you thought you need to at the time. But," she held up her finger sternly. "Don't _ever_ do something like that again."

Pushing her finger away with a smile, Rachael said, "Don't worry, I won't."

"Oh thank goodness! You're awake!" came Ruby's voice from the door. Rachael, Kristofer and Ila looked up to see team RWBY, as well as Sun and Neptune, congregated at the door.

"As soon as we heard what happened, we rushed over right away," Yang said as they entered the room.

"Are you feeling alright?" Blake asked.

Rachael nodded. "Wait a minute," she said looking around. "Where are Artie and Mac?"

Fox ears standing straight up in surprise, Ila looked over at Kristofer. "They still aren't back yet?"

Kristofer shook his head. "They may have been inducted, but, I fear something bad may have happened."

"I hope they're okay," Ila said, her ears flattening against her head.

"Well," Sun spoke up. "If needed, Blake and I may have learned where they may have been taken."

Blake nodded. "At the meeting we attended, the meeting the twins were at was mentioned. Apparently they're being sent to a training facility in the mountains north of Vale. It was also mentioned that the members at the meeting we were at were being sent to assist with Torchwick's operation in the southeast of Vale."

"Well," Blake said. "It would make sense for us to split up, right?"

"Are you sure?" Weiss asked. "You saw what happened last time."

"Not to mention that Professor Ozpin won't be as lenient after what happened to Rachael," Kristofer said.

"Well, what do you suggest we do?" Blake asked.

"I suggest we wait until an opportunity presents itself," Kristofer said.

"And just _when_ do you think that will happen?!" Blake demanded.

"W-well," Ila spoke up. "In a few weeks, after the dance, we will have our first missions, and we get to choose which missions we want."

Picking up on where Ila was going, Kristofer said, "We could just choose a mission that brings us as close to those two areas as possible."

"But that could be too long to wait!" Blake protested.

"Blake," Yang began, but Blake ran her over. "No! We have no idea what they have planned, but we know that their move is coming! We can't afford to sit idly by when we can do something about it!" With that, she stormed out of the room.

After a moment of silence, Neptune said, "Well…that was awkward."

Eventually, Blake's teammates managed to get her to relax about the White Fang, as well as convince her that waiting was the best option. After a few days, Rachael was allowed to leave her room and attend her classes. Also, over the next few weeks, Ruby managed to discreetly inform Ozpin about the two locations they learned of. Finally, the time came for all of them to attend their first mission, and there had still been no sign from Artie or Mac.

As the teams walked in, Professor Goodwitch stood at a microphone on the stage. "Quiet," she said. "Quiet please." Once she obtained silence, she went on, "Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin."

Ozpin, who had been standing next to Goodwitch, went up to the microphone. "Today we stand together, united," he said. "Mistral, Atlas, Vacuo, Vale; the four kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. It was a war that wasn't about where borders fell, or who traded with who, but about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons, one being the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression. And, as you are all aware, that was something many could not stand for.

"As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither would the generations to come. And it is a trend that is held to this very day.

"We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity. As I said, today we stand together, united. But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, huntsmen and huntresses will work to uphold it. As first year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a huntsman or huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the kingdom for several days." As he said this, computers with each of the different missions to choose from came to life. "Others will stay within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best."

After the speech, Teams SAMRI and RWBY met at a terminal. They agreed that Ruby's team would go after Torchwick, while Kristofer's team would go after their missing teammates. Stepping up to the computer Ruby scrolled through the list of missions before finding a Search and Destroy Mission in southeastern Vale. After selecting it, she typed in RWBY. When she pressed enter, an error popped up stating, "MISSION UNAVAILABLE TO FIRST YEAR STUDENTS".

Kristofer decided to try his luck. Scrolling up, he found a reconnaissance mission in the mountains to the north of Vale. "There we go," he said, selecting it. Then, he typed in his team name. Once again, the screen popped up with, "MISSION UNAVAILABLE TO FIRST YEAR STUDENTS".

"Wonderful," Weiss said, rolling her eyes.

"Any other ideas?" Blake asked.

Jokingly, Ruby said, "We mail ourselves there."

"Well, that's one option," said an amused Ozpin as he walked up behind the two teams, surprising them.

"Unfortunately, we determined that the concentrations of Grimm in those two areas were too extreme for first year students." With a hint of knowing in his voice, he went on, "It seems those particular regions are very popular. In fact, I have the sneaking suspicion that all of you will make your way to those places no matter which job you choose."

Everyone turned to glare at Ruby, who merely rubbed her head in slight embarrassment.

Ozpin went on with a smile. "So, how about this: instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, why don't we just bend them?" He pulled out his scroll. After typing in a few things, the status of both missions changed to occupied by teams RWBY and SAMRI.

Everyone looked at each other with excitement. Turning to the professor, Ruby said, "We won't let you down. Thank you, professor!"

"Do not thank me for this," he said. "Teamwork and persistence have carried you far. But you must understand, the things that await you beyond the protection of the kingdom will not care. Stay close to your huntsmen and/or huntresses at all times, and do exactly as they say. They will be leading you on this mission, and they can have you sent back to Beacon if they find your skills to be unsatisfactory." With this solemn warning, he began walking away, offering one last, "Good luck."

"That wasn't exactly uplifting," Yang said as the group left the auditorium.

"He's not wrong though," Kristofer said. "I think we can do this."

"Yeah," Ruby agreed. "Besides, it won't just be us out there. We'll be fighting alongside a genuine huntsman!"

"Over here Team RWBY!" a voice called. Turning around, much to their dismay, they found themselves face to face with the caffeine overdriven, motormouth of history teacher, Professor Ooblek. "Why hello girls!" he said. "Who's ready to fight for their lives?"

Everyone just stared. Finally, Kristofer said, "Well…good luck." He then whispered, "You're gonna need it."

As Kristofer's team moved over to their airship, they were met by a rather peculiar sight. In front of them stood what seemed to be the geek squad. The tall, blonde haired woman in front wore an old aviator outfit (complete with goggles) that looked like it would be worn by a biplane pilot from some kind of airshow. The man to her left could be mistaken for a child with a handlebar mustache, due to him being no more than half the height of the others. His hair was a dark brown, and cut into the shape of an upside-down bowl. He wore large round spectacles that made his eyes seem huge, as well as a full lab coat, and a backpack that seemed almost as big as he was. To the aviator woman's right was a short, slender, dark-skinned woman in a skin tight, brown suit. On her wrists, she wore very odd looking bracers with tubes that connected to multiple tanks on her back. Behind all three of them loomed a massive, bald headed, deeply tanned man. The hulk of a man looked like a traditional blacksmith, complete with suspenders. Attached to his back were two absolutely massive sledgehammers.

The woman in the aviator outfit stepped forward. Smiling, she held out her hand to Kristofer. "You must be Kristofer, leader of Team SAMRI. Pleased to meet you! I'm Amelia Teleran, leader of Team TECH. On my left is Edwin von Octavian. He might not seem like much of a fighter, but trust me, size isn't everything…except for…never mind. Anyways, to my right is Clara Bohr. She doesn't talk much, but she gets the job done. The gentle giant behind me is Horst Ford."

Returning the handshake, Kristofer introduced his teammates in turn. "Unfortunately," he apologized. "The rest of our team…"

Amelia cut him off. "No need to explain. We already know about your teammates." She put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll get your friends back."

"Thanks," Kristofer said awkwardly.

Edwin spoke up. He had a very thick accent that resembled a German accent. "The reason we have our whole team here is because yours is not."

"Though," Horst said in a deep rumbling voice. "I'm sure that you three are strong enough as it is."

"Regardless," Amelia said. "For a full on infiltration like this, every member counts. I hope you kids are ready."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, here's the introduction of Team TECH. I'm not going to go too in-depth about who they are, mainly because they were originally only storyless concepts that were designed to show off some unique RWBY-esque weapon ideas I had. Trust me, they're pretty unique…except for Horst's… His are kind of normal compared to the others, though no more normal than any of the other weapons in the RWBY-verse.<strong>


	14. Chapter 13: Needle in a Haystack

**Well, here's the next chapter, and the first one that is entirely out of my head. Also, I gave up trying to write Edwin's speech in a German accent. He still has it, you'll just have to pretend.**

* * *

><p>The airships took off immediately after Teams SAMRI and TECH boarded them. Amelia had chosen to ride with team SAMRI, while the rest of her team went on the other airship. As the wind whistled past the open door, Kristofer couldn't help but remember his paratrooper training back on Earth.<p>

Noticing Kristofer's expression, Amelia shouted over the roar of the wind and the airships engines, "Is this your first time on an airship?"

"Not exactly," he shouted back. "Part of my training involved parachuting out the back of an airplane."

"Oh, that's right!" Amelia exclaimed in excitement. "You're the guy from that other planet! I heard that your people's technology is vastly different than our own. I take it that this 'airplane' that you mentioned is some kind of flying machine?"

"Yep. They don't take off vertically like these ships do. They have to build up speed while moving along the ground. Once they get enough speed, the air rushing past will move around the wings in such a way that lift is created. This is due to how they're shaped."

"Sounds pretty inefficient."

Kristofer shrugged. "We don't have Dust. We have to make do with combustible fuel sources to provide the energy we need, and vertical take-off, though possible, uses more resources. We _do_ have ships like these, but they use propellers instead of those…repulsor, anti-gravity engines."

"Oh! If you have to use combustion for energy, then it makes sense. Why didn't you say that in the first place?!"

The whole way to the landing site, Amelia continued question Kristofer about Earth's technologies. She was constantly fascinated at all of the things that had been invented which circumvented the need to use dust. When they finally landed, the teams found themselves at the edge of the mountain range. Kristofer had seen the range on a map, but he never imagined that the range would be as large as this. The numerous peaks seemed to stretch infinitely into the distance, and each of the snow-capped peaks seemed to stretch upwards just as infinitely. In between the mountains was a beautiful, sprawling green forest.

Apparently, Rachael and Ila had never seen this mountain range either as both mouths were agape at the sight. "How are we going to find them in this mess?!" Rachael asked.

For the first time since Team SAMRI met her, Clara decided to speak. With a slightly British tinge to her voice, she said, "I suggest that we split up."

"Agreed," Amelia said, smiling as she put her hands on her hips. "We'll pair off. Kristofer, you'll go with Clara. Ila with Horst, and Rachael with Ed."

"What about you?" Kristofer asked.

Amelia pulled down her goggles. "I'll search from the air." She grabbed the two sticks attached to her hips. From either end of them, machinery began sprouting out, transforming into a small airplane-like shape with Amelia stretched out in the middle of all of it. A long, fine blade stretched across the front of the contraption, extending all the way down the front of the wings as well. Once the transformation was complete, she hit a switch, activating the engines and sending her flying into the sky, leaving Kristofer, Ila, and Rachael staring in amazement."

Horst let out a rumbling laugh. "Everyone has the same exact reaction to Amy's weapon, including Clara over here. It really is a thing of beauty. She designed it herself."

"Anyways," Edwin said. "I suggest we get moving."

"Agreed," Kristofer said.

Horst and Ila wound up going west while Clara and Kristofer went east, leaving Rachael with Edwin. Looking down at her partner's small stature, Rachael had some doubts about his abilities. "Umm, I don't want to sound rude, but travelling with you isn't going to be slow going, is it?"

"Don't worry child," he said, flipping a switch on his backpack. The pack then unfolded, revealing eight hydraulic arms, two of which had laser rifles at the ends. The four bottom ones lifted Edwin off the ground, acting as legs for him. As he moved towards the edge of the forest, he turned to Rachael and asked, "Well, are you coming? Time's a wasting."

Ila was shocked at how difficult it was for her to keep up with Horst. The most shocking part was how stealthily the large man moved as he barreled through the forest. Suddenly, he skidded to a stop, holding up his arm to stop Ila's progress.

"What is…" Ila began to ask, but was stopped as Horst put a finger to his lips. Much to her surprise, he then grabbed her and ducked behind bunch of bushes, out of sight of the path they'd been travelling on. Looking between the branches, Ila didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Then, after a few moments, her eyes widened and her ears stood up in surprise as a pack of just under a dozen Ursa Major and nearly twice as many Ursa Minor passed through where the pair had been.

Once the Ursai were safely past, the pair stepped out from their hiding spot. "H-how did you know they were coming?" Ila asked.

Chuckling, Horst said, "It might not look like it, but I have pretty keen eyesight. No offense, but I'm surprised that you didn't notice it with you being a Faunus and all."

"It's alright. To be honest, I was more focused on trying to keep up with you."

"Oh!" Horst exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Sorry about that. Sometimes I forget that I have to slow down for others." Suddenly, he, once again, grabbed Ila, eliciting a small shriek of surprise. He then situated her on his shoulders.

"W-what are you d-doing?!" Ila stuttered.

"Ordinarily, I would slow down to help you keep pace," Horst explained. "But, we have a lot of forest to cover, and possibly very little time. So, I'll just carry you instead."

"B-but…" Ila tried to protest, but had to immediately hold on tight as Horst took off again.

Meanwhile, Kristofer and Clara had their own problems to deal with. A Khoisan had managed to ambush them, dropping down from the trees and screeching its challenge.

Kristofer barely had time to dodge as the Khoisan struck at him. He didn't even get a chance to pull out his weapons as the Grimm kept him on the defensive. "A little help would be appreciated," he said as he narrowly dodged a swipe that cleaved the tree behind him in two.

"Of course," Clara replied, activating her weapons. Her bracers consisted of several different tools. She rotated through them until they reached what looked like miniature radar dishes. The tubes that connected to her back then began to glow a bright orange as dust flooded into the bracers. Pointing them at a tree, converging beams shot out from the dishes and encircled the tree. Then, with ease, she lifted the tree with the beams and threw it at the Khoisan, knocking it onto its back.

"Thanks," Kristofer said as he rejoined her, finally pulling out his weapons.

"It's not dead yet," Clara said. "We must go for its…"

"Joints and spine," Kristofer finished for her. "My team and I have fought one before."

Clara gave him a slightly impressed look. "Alright then. I will distract it, you kill it."

"Yes, ma'am." Kristofer then swiftly began climbing up the nearest tree.

By this time, the Khoisan had recovered and was absolutely furious. Upon spotting Clara, it shrieked again and charged her. Calmly, she raised her weapons, this time the tubes were glowing a brilliant blue. As it approached, she fired blasts of ice, effectively rooting it in place. She then began to ice its joints, preventing it from being able to move. "Now," she said.

On cue, Kristofer jumped down onto the Khoisan's back, bringing his weapons down onto the creature's spine, taking out his second Khoisan. Sheathing his weapons as he hopped off the creature, he said, "I hope we don't run into more of them."

Clara merely disabled her weapons without a word and continued to walk in the direction they had previously been travelling. However, she was stopped as she received an alert from her scroll. When she activated it, Amelia's voice came over the speaker. "This job just got a lot easier," she said. "I've found the White Fang's hideout."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, okay, I realize that this chapter is short. I ended it here because reasons. Actually, this chapter was merely meant to introduce each of Team TECH's weapons as well as provide a simple transition to the next one. The reason it so long to release was because I was going back and revising all of the previous chapters. I not only went back and performed technical editing, but I also had to retcon a few things which will be described in detail in the revised bio sheet that will be following this chapter. Anyways, thanks for reading, and I will try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible.<strong>


	15. Bio Sheet

**Due to the fact that we're approaching the end, as well as the introduction of Team TECH, I decided to do one final bio sheet to round everything out, as well as provide the final changes to each character. Once again, I'm retconning a character's appearance. Last time it was Artie because I didn't like the outfit I gave him. This time, I'm retconning Rachael's appearance. While I like her appearance, I don't think it quite fits into the RWBY universe. It's too… normal. Basically, I'm just changing her t-shirt to a sports bra with her logo positioned on the right side of the front, and I'm adding two sheathes to her back for her swords. I'm also changing her general clothing color scheme to a midnight blue so that it has a little more contrast with Ila's. As mentioned in the afterword for the previous chapter, I already went back and revised the previous chapters so that these changes match up with the story.**

* * *

><p><strong>Kristofer Schade (Kris-tu-fir Shayd)<strong>

Team: SAMRI (Leader)

Race: Faunus (monkey tail)

Skin Tone: White

Hair: Jet-black, shoulder length

Eye Color: Green

Clothing: Black shirt, black jeans, black jacket

Weapon(s) Name: Unnamed

Weapons: Two solid steel cudgels about 1 ¼ ft. long, no special abilities

Semblance: Can sense when/where objects will impact before they've begun to even move, able to move at supersonic speeds (just like Ruby)

Personality: Strong-willed, occasionally witty, yet still down to earth (so to speak)

History Bio: Kristofer is from the planet Earth. However, it's not the Earth you and I know. It's an Earth that's constantly at war. It's essentially a never ending World War. Kristofer was part of a special program (Project Phoenix) where young children were taken in at the age of ten, and were exposed to extensive training that would turn them into elite soldiers by the time they were old enough to enter combat. During his first mission, he and his team encountered the Necromancer. His team didn't stand a chance against the Necromancer, and he barely survived by jumping through a portal. Kristofer woke up in Remnant, initially without any memories up to the point where he was called to duty. After arriving, he became involved in fighting off a group of thugs, the result of which was being accepted into Beacon. There he became friends with Artie and Mack Noctis, Rachael Umbra, and Ila Seraphim, later becoming the leader of their team, Team SAMRI. When he ran into the Necromancer on Remnant, Kristofer's lost memories returned to him, and vowed to destroy him, no matter the cost.

**Artie Noctis (Ahr-tee Nok-tiss)**

Team: SAMRI

Race: Faunus (raccoon tail)

Skin Tone: Deeply tanned

Hair: Brown, moderate male length

Eye Color: Brown

Clothing: Red shirt, burgundy vest and burgundy pants with some bronze

Weapon(s) name: Messernacht (Mess-ir-nawkt)

Weapons: Bracers containing 6 blades which come up from the bracer, fanning out around central disc. These discs (which are attached via magnetic clamp) can be released from the bracers, allowing them to be thrown. If thrown in the right way, they can loop around and be recaptured by the clamp. While not as practical, they _can _be used as melee weapons, as well as shields if needed.

Semblance: Can manipulate the wind to an extent. Generally uses this ability to perfectly loop the discs back to him once they've been thrown.

Personality: Outgoing, loyal to a fault when it comes to friends and family, very friendly, very mild-mannered "ladies' man", considered more "cool" than his brother,

History Bio: Artimus (strongly prefers to go by Artie) is the twin brother of Mac Noctis. As Faunus, he and his brother have experienced their fair share of racism and discrimination.

**Rachael Umbra (**Ray-chul Uhm-bruh**)**

Team: SAMRI

Race: Human

Skin Tone: Slightly tanned

Hair: Red

Eye Color: Green

Clothing: Midnight blue sports bra with her logo emblazoned over her left breast, midnight blue shorts with black trim, two sheathes on her back with straps looping diagonally across her front

Weapon(s) name: Deathstrike

Weapon(s): Twin swords which can transform into two shotguns or be combined into a dual barreled, pump action shotgun

Semblance: Can make short-mid distance teleports, maximum attempted of 500 ft. The farther the distance, the more of her aura it uses up, and the longer the interval before she can teleport again. A max distant teleport will drain her of almost all of her energy. Short distance teleports (50 to maybe 75 ft. jumps) can be made with ease, using up almost no aura, and has minimal lag between teleports (2-3 seconds). Any attempts at making a jump farther than 500 ft. results in severe drainage of her energy, causing her to lose consciousness.

Personality: Very kind, willing to sacrifice herself to save another person, yet also extremely hyperactive. Thoroughly enjoys the thrill of combat, she lives to destroy any and all Grimm she comes across without remorse.

History Bio: Became best friend of Ila Seraphim after saving her from being beaten to death.

**Mac Noctis (**Mak Noktis**)**

Team: SAMRI

Race: Faunus (Raccoon tail)

Skin Tone: Deeply tanned

Hair: Brown, moderate male length

Eye Color: Brown

Clothing: Yellow shirt, olive vest, tan pants

Weapon(s) name: Kishinoken (Kish-in-o-kin)

Weapon(s): Bracers that can emit 2 foot long energy blades that can cut through steel like a knife through butter, can also be made to rapidly fire energy pulses

Semblance: Once he has made physical contact with another person, he can communicate telepathically with them, as well as relay telepathic messages between people. However, he won't do it unless the persons he is communicating with/between give him their permission.

Personality: Reserved, yet not silent. Much like his brother, he highly values loyalty. Unlike his brother, he is more by the book, tends to focus more on education than anything outgoing or wild. When not studying, he practices his form and technique, trying to get as close to perfection as possible.

Bio History: Mac is the twin brother of Artie Noctis. As Faunus, he and his brother have experienced their fair share of racism and discrimination.

**Ila Seraphim (I-luh Sayr-uh-feem)**

Team: SAMRI

Race: Faunus (Fox ears)

Skin Tone: Fair skin

Hair: Black hair that reaches to the small of her back

Eye Color: Blue

Clothing: Simple, elegant, yet mobility-allowing sky blue dress

Weapon(s) name: Coelestis (Chay-less-tiss)

Weapon(s): Stylized bow w/arrows, the bow uses a pulley system with a winch inside the handle which allows the string to snap back after being released. The bow can transform into a staff with a blade at either end, the blades are curved in opposite directions

Semblance: Can control the exact location that any projectile (bullet, rock, arrow, etc.) launched from her person will land (accurate down to the millimeter)

Personality: Shy, quiet, constantly apologizing. Changes drastically when in combat, becomes cool, calculating, and deadly.

Bio History: Experienced very heavy harassing and discrimination extremely early on in life (starting at three years old!) due to her Faunus heritage in combination with being forced to attend schools whose attendees were very predominantly human. All of the putting down she experienced forced her into the meek, shy girl she is today. At five years old, the hatred towards "people like her" reached such a level, that when she accidentally tripped and fell into a boy, he and his friends beat her to the brink of death. As she lay there after they left, waiting to die, she was helped by Rachael Umbra. Rachael saved her life that day, and the two had been best friends ever since.

**The Necromancer**

Team: None*

Race: Human

Skin Tone: Grey

Hair: Black

Eye Color: Glowing red

Clothing: Black that reaches to the ground, when hood is up, it keeps face in shadows

Weapon(s) name: Unknown

Weapon(s): Staff with red crystal at end, use is unclear at the present time

Semblance: N/A**

Personality: Seen to have a dark sense of humor.

Bio History: Target of Kristofer's team back on Earth. When Kristofer escaped, the Necromancer pursued him, intent on tying up loose ends.

*_Not officially part of a team, he has associated himself with Torchwick as a means to an end._

**_Though he doesn't have a semblance, he is shown to have powers. So far, he has been shown to be able to detonate the Dust within guns, as well as phase between dimensions. He can also create feral shadows of people that he has seen. The shadows are stronger when the life essence of the person has been absorbed into his staff. Aside from his shadow creatures, he is unable to do anything to Kristofer, the reason is unknown._

**Justin Wirsch** **(Jus-tin Wersh)**

Team: _Operation Shadow_

Race: Human

Skin Tone: N/A

Hair: N/A

Eye Color: N/A

Clothing: N/A

Weapon(s) name: ER-24 Energy Rifle

Weapon(s): Repeating Energy Rifle

Semblance: N/A

Personality: TBD

History: Best friend of Kristofer back on earth. Recruit of _Project Phoenix_, Assigned to Kristofer's team to kill the Necromancer.

**Michael Senpaison (My-kul Sen-pie-sen)**

Team: _Operation Shadow_

Race: Human

Skin Tone: N/A

Hair: N/A

Eye Color: N/A

Clothing: N/A

Weapon(s) name: XG-41 "Spectre" Phase Rifle

Weapon(s): Energy sniper rifle whose ammunition has the capacity to phase through solid matter, but not living flesh

Semblance: N/A

Personality: TBD

History: Very skilled sniper. Assigned to Kristofer's team to kill the Necromancer.

**Katie Lee (Kay-tee Lee)**

Team: _Operation Shadow_

Race: Human

Skin Tone: N/A

Hair: N/A

Eye Color: N/A

Clothing: N/A

Weapon(s) name: ER-24 Energy Rifle

Weapon(s): Repeating Energy Rifle

Semblance: N/A

Personality: TBD

History: Very skilled in computer hacking. Assigned to Kristofer's team to kill the Necromancer.

**Amelia Teleran (Uh-mee-lee-uh Tell-eh-ran)**

Team: TECH

Race: Human

Skin Tone: Slight tan

Hair: Blonde, short

Eye Color: Brown

Clothing: Old-time aviator suit

Weapon(s) name: N/A (Team TECH does not believe in naming their weapons)

Weapon(s): Very lightweight flight pack that encompasses the body, wings taper down to very sharp blades. Can split apart into two flamethrower weapons which attach themselves to her arms

Semblance: Able to see infinitely into the distance

Personality: Absolute geek when it comes to anything scientific, as shown when she kept pestering Kristofer about earth's airplanes

History: N/A

**Edwin von Octavian (Ed-win vahn Ock-tay-vee-in)**

Team: TECH

Race: Human

Skin Tone: White

Hair: Brown, bowl-cut

Eye Color: Brown, wears glasses

Clothing: White labcoat

Weapon(s) name: N/A

Weapon(s): Eight arms that protrude from the pack on his back. The end effectors for each arm can be switched out between a gripper, a saw blade, or a machine gun. The arms are made of an incredibly durable steel, equivalent to the hardness of diamond. The arms are not powered, instead they are operated by Edwin's semblance, giving them nearly unlimited strength

Semblance: Magnetism

Personality: Despite appearances, he is quite sociable. He is used to people feeling uneasy due to his height, and just laughs it off.

History: N/A

**Clara Bohr (Klah-ruh Bore)**

Team: TECH

Race: Human

Skin Tone: Dark

Hair: Black, done up in a ponytail

Eye Color: Brown

Clothing: Skintight brown suit

Weapon(s) name: N/A

Weapon(s): Multi-purpose dust-powered bracers. Has three different modes, each mode utilizes a different type of Dust energy. Can be used as a flamethrower, freeze ray, or anti-grav manipulator

Semblance: Able to see into the future, to an extent. She is not able to activate it at will, nor control it in any way aside from turning it off, which she frequently does.

Personality: The few times she actually talks, she never says anything unnecessary. Everything to her is precise, and no energy is ever wasted.

History: N/A

**Horst Ford (Hohrst Fohrd)**

Team: TECH

Race: Human

Skin Tone: Deeply tanned

Hair: Bald

Eye Color: Blue

Clothing: Traditional blacksmith's outfit

Weapon(s) name: N/A

Weapon(s): Two massive sledgehammers that can also be transformed into sniper rifles

Semblance: Same as Ila

Personality: Generally friendly, thought he doesn't always think about others' feelings before he acts

History: N/A

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><p><strong>So, that's about it. We have about 1-3 more chapters plus the epilogue and then this story will be finished. I'll see what I can do about cranking them out as fast as possible…without sacrificing quality of course. Also, I'm aware that I still haven't done anything about a cover for this story… I've only started drawing about a year ago, and I'm very picky. Those two do not go well together, which makes anything I draw take forever. Chances are very high that I'll finish this fanfic before I manage to finish the cover art for it. <strong>


	16. Chapter 14: Storming the Beach

**I've noticed that a lot of people went straight to the bio sheet. There is actually a new chapter that comes right before it. If any of you missed it, it's entirely my fault for posting the chapter and the bio sheet back to back instead of giving a waiting period between the two.**

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><p>Once Amelia had found the base, she had everyone gather in a clearing approximately three miles away from the facility. Once everyone gathered, she said, "Well, I guess it's time to come up with a plan, isn't it?" She turned to Kristofer. "Any ideas?" When he gave her a surprised look, she said, "Well, weren't you a leader back on your world? From what you've told me, it seems like this kind of operation is exactly what you were trained for. I'm going to be completely honest with you; my team is not trained for this. We know how to take out Grimm and that's it. So, the logical thing would be to turn to you, since, out of all of us, you're the expert."<p>

"Oh," Kristofer said. "I-I guess that makes sense." Stepping forward, he placed his Scroll on the ground, revealing a map of the terrorist compound. "Well," he said, turning to Amelia. "First off, I'm going to want you to provide over-watch. That means you'll be flying above the base, out of sight of anyone on the ground. You'll be monitoring the movements of both us and the enemy. I hope you're okay with night flying."

"That shouldn't be a problem."

Turning back to the map, he continued, "For the first phase, we need a way to shut off all of the power." He glanced at the others sheepishly. "I still have a lot to learn about Dust, so I don't exactly know how we would go about doing that."

"That would be easy," Edwin said, stepping forward, pointing to a small building on the west side of the compound. "This structure houses a Dust Containment Unit. That is what powers the whole compound. But, if I might ask, to what end will this serve? Even if we do this at night, the White Fang will just gain an advantage over us."

"Not necessarily," Amelia said. "All of us are equipped with thermal goggles."

"But, that still leaves me," Rachael said.

"Don't worry, we have extras."

Kristofer sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm completely forgot about that. I got so used to being able to see in the dark, I forgot others can't."

"That's alright," Edwin said. "That's why we're here to offer our own insight on your plan. But, again, what purpose will this serve?"

"It will make the enemy alert," Kristofer explained.

"That's a good thing because?" Rachael asked.

"I'll get to that," Kristofer assured her. Turning back to the map, he continued. "Rachael and I will infiltrate the base using stealth so that we can turn off the power." He pointed at a spot in the mountains above the compound. "Horst, Ila, I want you two to provide sniper support from here. Meanwhile, Clara and Edwin will be lying in wait outside the base. Once the power has been shut off, we'll be ready to move on to the second phase. In the second phase, we're going to compress the teams down to two. Team TECH, you'll be the distraction. I want you to draw as much attention to yourselves as possible while attacking the base…"

"Oh, I see!" Rachael exclaimed. "We're making them more alert so that they will go after the distraction!"

"Exactly," Kristofer said. "Meanwhile," he pointed at a warehouse near the generator room. "Ila will meet Rachael and I here. During the chaos, the three of us will slip into the main base and try to find Mac and Artie. Any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Well, then let's do this."

Rachael and Kristofer stealthily moved through the compound. So far, Amelia had been reliable in providing information about where the enemies were.

"Hold up," Amelia's voice came over their comms. "Three guards ahead, can you get past them?"

Kristofer peered around the corner. Immediately he pulled back. A Faunus had been looking right in that direction. Tapping his earpiece twice, he signaled a negative.

"I can see them," Ila said in response. Suddenly, three of her arrows came out of nowhere, striking all three of them in the head.

"Good job Ila," Kristofer whispered. "We're coming up on the target. Any guards around it?"

"You're all clear," Amelia said.

Rachael moved over to the window. After looking inside for a few moments, she held up three fingers, signaling that there were three people inside. Cautiously, the pair moved towards the door. After counting down, Kristofer quickly opened the door, allowing Rachael to move inside. The three people inside looked up in surprise. But, before any of them could raise an alarm, Rachael had taken them out with her swords.

"Alright," Kristofer said, entering the room himself. The generator was fairly basic looking. A single class container filled with blue Dust in its powder form dominated the center of the room. "Well," he said, raising a cudgel. "Time to begin phase two." He smashed the cudgel into the glass container, shattering it and causing all of the dust to pour out. In seconds, the facility was plunged into complete darkness. Frantic shouting could be heard outside, followed by the sound of gunfire.

Once Edwin and Clara saw the lights go off, they stormed onto the base, Edwin throwing the perimeter guards several yards before two of his arms transformed into machine guns, gunning down another three Faunus inside the compound. Meanwhile, Clara had activated her flamethrowers and torched the nearest terrorists.

"Well," Kristofer said. "It looks like they have the White Fang's attention."

"Rather quick on the uptake, aren't they?" Rachael replied.

"We'd better get moving," Kristofer said, leading her out of the building and over to rendezvous point. On the way over, a group of Faunus rushed them with swords. Diving under their blades, Kristofer came up on the other side of their attackers, taking out two of them with swift blows to the head. Meanwhile, Rachael had transformed her blades into shotguns and took out two more. However, she was unaware of a fifth member they had missed sneaking up behind her. Right before he had a chance to attack Rachael, a glowing arrow struck him, knocking him to the ground.

"Excellent timing as always," Kristofer said with a grin as Ila joined them.

By this point, the White Fang figured out what was going on and had Edwin and Clara standing back to back, surrounded by Faunus.

"Clara," Edwin said. "Remember that time when we were sur…"

"One step ahead of you," Clara responded, switching her weapons to their anti-grav mode. Grabbing four of the nearest Faunus, she lifted them into the air and them swept them to the side like a wrecking ball through the terrorists. Simultaneously, Edwin swept his arms through the crowd, bowling over Faunus as they went. Within seconds, they had made the circle around them much wider.

But, that wasn't all of them, not by a long shot. Faunus were still pouring out of the base. Suddenly, out of nowhere, four sniper shots pierced their ranks, knocking four of them to the ground. Looking up, the terrorists were surprised as Horst fell from the sky, crushing several of them with his sledgehammers. Whirling his weapons around as though they weighed nothing, he managed to take out several more.

Amelia then swooped down through the air, using the blade on the front of her weapon to slice through the packs of terrorists. "Nice job everyone!" she shouted. "Keep it up!"

Mac and Artie were woken by the sounds of fighting coming from outside their cell.

"You hear that?" Mac asked.

Artie nodded. "You don't think it's just simple infighting, do you?"

"I doubt it," Mac replied. "There's nothing for them to really fight over."

Their conversation was interrupted by their cell door smashing open. Preparing for the worst, the two braced themselves. However, they were not prepared as Rachael dashed into the room, hugging each of them tightly.

"R-rachael?!" Artie exclaimed in surprise.

"It's so good to see that you two are alright," Ila said from the door.

"W-what are you doing here?" Mac asked.

"Well," Kristofer said as he walked into the room. "We couldn't leave the pair of you behind. When you didn't show back up, we figured you were in trouble." He walked over to the pair and released them from their chains. When they stood up, he handed them their weapons. "C'mon," he said. "Let's get out of here."

The team, once again complete, made their way into the large hall outside of the twins' cell. However, waiting for them was none other than the Necromancer. Flanking him were a couple dozen of his shadow creatures he was so fond of summoning, each of them snarling in fury. The odd thing was that several Faunus were numbered among the abominations as well.

"Well, well, well," the Necromancer said. "It appears that you're trying to escape. We can't have that now, can we?"

Kristofer stepped forward, weapons raised in defiance. "This ends here! You will pay for the crimes you've committed here, as well as on Earth."

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><p><strong>We are finally reaching the climax of this story. The next chapter may take quite a bit longer to write, as it will be the final chapter. Before this story ends, I want to take the time to say thank you to everyone who took the time to read this. It's the fact that people are actually willing to read what I write that encourages me to continue doing so. I really, truly appreciate it. Thank you.<strong>


	17. Chapter 15: D-Day

**Here we go, the final chapter. Well, technically it isn't since I plan to have an epilogue. Also, I hope that this ending isn't too cheesy. I wanted it to seem epic, but I fear I fell into a cheesy, stereotypical writer's trap. I'm sorry if it seems that way, I thought it was cool, but, oh well. Also, I know it's short. Honestly, this should have been part of the last chapter, but then the end of the last chapter wouldn't have had the same effect. One more thing, I've changed my username. When I finally publish my novel I'm writing, I want to go by a pseudonym. Unfortunately, Windrunner is copyrighted, so I'm going with Ventocore. Anyways, onto the grand finale!**

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><p>The Necromancer cackled maniacally. "You honestly think you can stop me?"<p>

"If I remember our last encounter correctly," Kristofer said. "I had the upper hand in our last battle."

The Necromancer laughed. "I was toying with you. What you have seen me do does not even scrape the surface of what I am capable of!" As he said this, dark energy started to seep from the crystal at the end of his staff. The energy began to shroud his body until it was completely blocked from view. Then, suddenly, the cloud burst outwards, revealing what could best be described as a demon. His entire body seemed to be wreathed in black flames. Wings had sprouted from his back. His hood had finally disappeared, but his face could not be considered human. His eyes were dark pits in his skull, his nose consisted of two narrow slits in his face. Two fangs curved upwards and outwards from the sides of his mouth. "Now, Kristofer Shade," he said, his voice having turned deep and guttural. "It's time for you to die!" He pointed at the team with his staff, signaling the shadow beasts to charge.

Kristofer's team quickly spread out to prevent the beasts from being able to surround them. As Kristofer ran to confront a shadow of Justin, an arrow flew in front of him, landing in between the double's eyes. "Don't worry about them," Ila shouted as she slashed at a shadow Faunus in front of her.

"You go after the Necromancer!" Artie said. "We'll take care of his lackeys."

Kristofer hesitated. "But…"

"Just go!" Mac shouted.

"You're the only one who can fight him!" Rachael said.

His mind made up, Kristofer charged the Necromancer, yelling a challenge. Several of the shadow beasts jumped in his way, but his teammates quickly removed them.

When Kristofer reached the Necromancer, he swung at him with all of his might. However, the Necromancer easily caught his arm mid-swing. Lifting Kristofer up, the Necromancer threw him through a nearby pillar, completely smashing the pillar to bits.

Kristofer stood back up. Once again, he charged and swung at the Necromancer. This time, however, he stopped his swing and activated his second semblance. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared behind the Necromancer and delivered a blow to his black, sending the monstrosity sprawling.

"Clever," the Necromancer said, whirling around. "But, that will not save you!" He began launching black fireballs at Kristofer, who easily dodged each of them, continuing to sprint towards his opponent. This time, when he activated his second semblance, Kristofer appeared on the Necromancer's right, whacking him upside the head.

By this time, the rest of Kristofer's team had taken out all of the Necromancer's minions. As the Necromancer was sent reeling by Kristofer's blow, he stumbled right into Rachael's shotgun, whose blast sent him back in the other direction. While he was distracted, Ila, Artie, and Mac began launching volley after volley of arrows, glaives, and laser pulses at him.

As he was pummeled by the projectiles, the Necromancer began to glow with a purplish hue. Suddenly, the glow that surrounded his body exploded outwards, knocking everyone to the ground. "Enough!" he roared. He then raised an arm, causing all except Kristofer to rise into the air, clutching their throats.

"Nooo!" Kristofer yelled, recklessly rushing at the Necromancer. However, the Necromancer batted him aside, sending him flying through a nearby wall.

"Kristofer…urk!...No!" Ila croaked as she struggled against the Necromancer's iron grip.

The Necromancer began to laugh. "You are all the same," he said. "Your compassion will always be your weakness. That is why you will always fail!"

"You're wrong," Kristofer's voice reverberated around the room.

The Necromancer turned to look at Kristofer, who slowly got to his feet. "Compassion does not make us weak," Kristofer said, staring the Necromancer directly in the eyes. "Compassion gives us a reason to fight. It gives us determination, enabling us to endure just about anything without ever giving up. No, compassion is not my weakness. It is my strength!" As he said this, Kristofer's body was instantly wreathed in a blindingly white light. His eyes burned with pure white flame as he stared down the Necromancer.

Kristofer waved his hand in front of him. Instantly, the Necromancer's chokehold on Kristofer's teammates was released. As they landed on the ground, he turned to them and said, "Get out of here. I shouldn't be too long."

"But…" Ila started to protest.

"Go!" Kristofer said firmly.

Without a word, Artie and Mac dashed out of the hall.

"Come on," Rachael said, gently pulling Ila out of the room by the arm while Ila looked back at their leader.

As they emerged, they found Team TECH mopping up the remaining members of the White Fang. Retracting her weapon as she landed, Amelia ran over to them. Looking at the twins, she said, "You two must be the ones we're here to save. You really botched things up, didn't you?" She chuckled. "Don't worry, it happens to the best of us." Then she noticed everyone's worried expressions. "Hey, are all of you alright? Hang on a minute, where's Kristofer?!"

Once the other TECH members gathered around, Team SAMRI explained the events that occurred within the base. As they finished, Amelia said, "Kristofer might be your leader, but he's not ours." Turning to her teammates, she motioned for them to follow as she ran towards the base. However, before they could reach the main building, two figures burst up through the roof.

Kristofer and the Necromancer flew above the White Fang compound, circling each other as they flew higher. Repeatedly, they crashed into each other and blinding speeds, creating shockwaves from the points of impact. Suddenly, Kristofer's glow increased in its intensity, becoming so bright, it was impossible to see his form. Slowly, the light began to overwhelm the Necromancer's shadow as Kristofer made his way towards him. Finally, the Necromancer's shadowy flames vanished and he returned to his human form as Kristofer grabbed him by the throat.

"H-how?!" The Necromancer demanded. "What are you?!"

"Even if I knew, I have no reason to tell you," Kristofer said, tightening his grip.

"Wait!" the Necromancer exclaimed. "If you destroy me, you'll never see your friends again!"

"What in the world are you talking about? You can't do anything! Face it, you're beaten."

"You don't understand," the Necromancer went on. "It is _my_ magic tying you to this world. If I die, that link is severed, and you will never return again. You'll never see _her_ again."

Kristofer stopped at this. "How do I know that you aren't lying?"

The Necromancer shrugged. "You don't."

Steeling himself, Kristofer finally said, "It doesn't matter. I will bring you to justice, no matter the cost." With that, he flew the Necromancer straight into the ground, creating a massive crater. The Necromancer's body hung limp in Kristofer's hand, obviously dead. Then, Kristofer was shocked as the body faded away, completely vanishing from existence. Shrugging it off, he decided to return to his friends.

As soon as Kristofer returned to the base, the glow that surrounded his body winked out, making him appear normal again. Looking down at his hands, he saw them start to fade slightly before returning to normal. _I guess the Necromancer was right,_ he thought grimly. Suddenly he was attacked by Ila, who had wrapped her arms tightly around him. Returning the hug, he looked up and smiled as he saw everyone there.

"I assume it's done?" Mac asked.

Kristofer nodded. "He won't ever bother anyone again."

"Well," Rachael said. "That's a relief. I would've liked to help kick his butt though."

Kristofer chuckled. "In a way, you did. All of you did."

"Nah," Artie said. "You were the one who finished him off."

Kristofer sighed. "I'm really going to miss all of you."

Ila pushed herself away from Kristofer. "W-what do you mean?! You'll be with us from now on, won't you?"

Kristofer shook his head sadly. "Right before the Necromancer died, he explained to me that his death would sever my ties with this world. I can only assume that I'm going to reappear in my own."

"The scumbag was probably lying," Artie said. However, as if on cue, Kristofer's body flickered before becoming solid again.

Ila ran at him and hugged him again. Sobbing, she said, "P-please, don't go!"

Kristofer gently stroked the back of her head. Looking at his teammates, he said again, "I really will miss you all. I couldn't have picked a better team to lead." He turned to Mac. "When I leave, I'm not sure how new leaders are selected. But, if I had to choose a replacement, I'd…" Kristofer flickered again, longer this time. "…prefer you."

Mac nodded. Slowly, he said, "I will let the Professor know about your decision. You truly have been a great leader and friend. I believe I speak for all of us when I say that we'll miss you as well." Rachael and Artie nodded in agreement.

"Thank you," Kristofer said, wiping a tear from his eye. He then held Ila out at arm's length. "Ila," he said. "I know on the outside, you seem…" Flicker. "…timid. But, deep inside, I…" Flicker. "…know you are strong. And, when I'm gone, that's what you'll have to be. Can…" Flicker. "…you promise me that?" When she nodded, he smiled fondly at her. "Ila, before I go, I just want you to know that…" Kristofer then faded from existence.

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><p><strong>We have finally reached the end of Reality Check (or have we?). I want to thank you all for taking this trip with me (even if only one person ever said anything). I have never enjoyed writing anything as much as I did this story. I hope all of you enjoyed reading it just as much. As I said earlier, I <strong>**_do_**** have an epilogue planned. I will release it a week from now to prevent people from jumping straight to that part instead of this one. Anyways, again, thank you so, so much for taking the time to read this. This is Melrian S. Wind… I mean Melrian Ventocor, signing off.**


	18. Epilogue

Kristofer woke with a start. Looking around, he found himself in some kind of warehouse. Slowly, he picked himself up off the ground. The warehouse must have been abandoned for quite some time, if the moonlight streaming through the gaping hole in the roof was anything to go by. Speaking of the moon, Kristofer was relieved to find that it was shattered. Stepping outside the warehouse, he eventually found himself on what appeared to be a city street in France. He stopped to look at himself in the window. He broke into a grin at what he saw. Staring back at him was a black, shoulder-length haired, green-eyed, monkey-tailed young man wearing a black jacket, shirt and pants. He then began running through the streets, he stopped as a cliff that towered over the city came into view. Atop the cliff rested Beacon Academy…


	19. Update

I wish to redact any claims made before about making a Reality Check 2. I've completely changed my mind about sending Kristofer into all these different anime. I will (very soon) be starting a story that will pick up where this one left off. Chances are, the prologue, if not the first chapter, will be posted within the next 12 hours.


End file.
